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It has been two decades after the legendary game first launched in North America, providing players everywhere the tools to feel like a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was 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, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game brought older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, but then when it was featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes musician the artist.

DragonForce had already completed a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the creators felt that humans have a natural 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, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”