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Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant influence for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band during their US tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew were playing the song during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated game editions that focused on their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over 500,000 copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving rapidly,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community alive, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”