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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the remarkable aspects was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been seen as outdated material, but then when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, suddenly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, so the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Music'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 each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It moved more than half a million copies upon release, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention played at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. If you play other games, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the track was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles such as the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”