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Marking 20 years since Guitar Hero first launched across the Atlantic, giving players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that someone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match coloured notes scrolling down the display synchronized to the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar series that had a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, but then once it got featured on the title and teenagers discovered it, abruptly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero served as a primary platform for exposure for the group during their a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies had on Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around their music collections and associated stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money than any of their records. It moved more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of Aerosmith’s music rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at double speed and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took months of practice of practice.

“The game offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you should pick up a real gun and enlist,” says musician Herman Li.

The band previously wrapped up a successful tour when their hit appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall the record label calling to tell me that our records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

Indeed, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero proved so vast that it threatened to overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I thought differently, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “Should you just listen to a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, clothes or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a music icon on the stage. From day one, the creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released in just a five-year period from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered work on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be evergreen, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”