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It has been 20 years after the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the means to become a rock star. Not in reality, but try convincing anyone who has mastered Free Bird’s lengthy instrumental break before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to match on-screen cues scrolling down the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

Harmonix had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for a surprising billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the dollar figure was so high,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He continues: “One of the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Finds Younger Fans

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was included in the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. This validated it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the band more money compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units upon release, and demand for their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone performed at double speed while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer claimed it took months of practice to accomplish.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into widely recognized. “I recall our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow everything else accomplishments. Last year, the song was used in promotional material 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 a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most of Guitar Hero games were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as 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 like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. Recently formed developers has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles might become similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”