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It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who's mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases airtime were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series brought older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the outdated tag. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the band as they went on US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Influence

Rock’s biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, and sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing every one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community alive, and there’s expectations of something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to persist for future fans.”