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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine live show.

Harmonix previously tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music since the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer had their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar mechanics but an array of personalization features. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival 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. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles might become similar to sports games 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.”