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Marking two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders in development. A new studio has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”