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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”