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It has been 20 years after Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the display synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It sold more than half a million copies in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult 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 requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously completed a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive urge to make music, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”