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It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the recordings – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged 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 risked overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”