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It has been 20 years since Guitar Hero hit the market across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales airtime were going up, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act included their track on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits to the forefront: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been considered outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 copies upon release, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing every one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring nine months of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician the artist.

DragonForce had already wrapped up a profitable run when their hit appeared in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it has risked overshadow everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with expectations of a new product from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“We thought those games might become like Madden allowing annual update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”