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Marking two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group more money than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone played at double speed and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought 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 evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”