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Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise that had a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – even though initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained not available stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. 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 enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared 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 shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”