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Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the tools to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game young people were finding it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's debut album was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their records. It sold more than half a million copies upon release, while demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed requiring nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on its debut music game. Original co-founders are both involved as special advisers. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”