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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, the game provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

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

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game offered a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles 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 optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t continue with new generations.”