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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many musicians included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act had their track on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as music that was past it, however once it got included in the game young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”