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It has been two decades since Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, providing players everywhere the means to become rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of an authentic live show.

The studio had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many musicians featured, showcasing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the songs – despite the fact the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music because the dollar figure was so high,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved extremely difficult. We couldn’t get bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers the way the game revived older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally this had been seen as outdated material, however when it was included in the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's debut album was still unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late during travel, and some of them knew us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly earned the band greater revenue than any of their studio albums. It sold well over half a million copies in its first week, while demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult power-metal song popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a profitable run before their hit was featured in the third game, yet he explains it turned them into widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, be it for cars, clothes or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Did Guitar Hero harness this? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. From day one, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like the DJ version, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus in plastic instruments waned, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Games such as Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the community active, and there’s set to be a new product from the founders on the way. A new studio has entered production on their first music game. Original co-founders are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to persist with new generations.”