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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic 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. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, but then once it got included in the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million copies upon release, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”