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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a significant impact for many of the artists featured, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, 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 performed at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use a real gun and go to war,” says musician the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, with expectations of something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”