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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues moving along the display synchronized to the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously experimented 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 which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the outdated tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold well over half a million units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on expert mode, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got their own path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most installments came out over a mere half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to continue for future fans.”