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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a remarkable influence on numerous musicians included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 copies upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay and extensive personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene active, with set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be 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 continue for future fans.”