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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “The game offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”