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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact for many musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still unreleased in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”