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Marking two decades since the legendary game first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who's mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise that had a remarkable influence for many of the artists included, introducing classic groups to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Northern Irish blues-rock band the Answer had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist recalls the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, younger audience. Typically this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased in the US, meaning the game served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their a North American tour supporting AC/DC. “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 Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated stories, visuals and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than 500,000 units upon release, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat featuring 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. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Recently, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to allow people to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene alive, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, thus I remain hopeful. It's entirely possible for it to continue for future fans.”