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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the means to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked particular chords, creating the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game offered a bigger, new demographic. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave our catalog a new life.”

At that time, the band's first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. 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. They stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “Should you just hear a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a half-decade 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 on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of a new product from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden allowing annual releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”