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It has been 20 years after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, but try telling that anyone who has nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old groups to millions of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for exposing their children to the music they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band one featured act had Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician the artist remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, but then when it was included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record was still not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in specialized game editions that focused on their music collections and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the group more money compared to their studio albums. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while demand for their songs rose significantly at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. This track is challenging even in expert mode, not to mention performed at double speed while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer claimed it took nine months to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band had already completed a profitable run before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “It exploded on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed humans have a natural urge to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Titles like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun production on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”