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Marking 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, but try convincing someone who has mastered Free Bird’s four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of an authentic performance.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Together, they laid the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable franchise which made a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – RedOctane had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for introducing their children to the music they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated the genre, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated stories, imagery and legendary status. For example, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at double speed and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They stated requiring nine months to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, it doesn't imply you should use a real gun and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our records were moving like crazy,” he shares. “It exploded when we next toured, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a music icon on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural urge to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the community active, with set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace another game in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games might become like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist with new generations.”