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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match on-screen cues moving along the display in time with the music. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

Harmonix previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, later acquired by Activision in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable impact on numerous musicians included, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the recordings – despite the fact initial releases primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was fairly certain the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play were going up, all artists desired to participate.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group one featured act included their track in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however when it was included in the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the outdated tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the group as they went on a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several recognized us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band more money compared to their studio albums. It sold well over 500,000 units in its first week, and sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality completed an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with almost identical mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

The band previously completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames appeared on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums like crazy,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to overshadow all other accomplishments. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I felt differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I’m glad we played a role of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best marketing, be it for automobiles, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments were released over a mere five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a brief comeback several years later.

Titles like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has entered work on their first music game. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“Our team believed those games could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant new music that it could be evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”