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Marking 20 years after Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time 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 the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes musician the artist.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles might become like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”