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Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant impact for many musicians included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the game young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, 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 as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “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 Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies upon release, and demand for their songs rose of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a successful tour when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”