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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision in 2006. Together, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”