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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering players everywhere the opportunity to become rock legends. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many musicians featured, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, however when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided our catalog 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 during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I recall the record label informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique musical journey and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on their first music game. The initial creators are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”