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It has been two decades after the legendary game debuted in North America, offering everyday gamers the opportunity to feel like rock legends. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that anyone who has nailed Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of a packed crowd of friends.

Developed by Harmonix, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with the music. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.

The studio previously tried its hand in the music genre before partnering with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series that had a significant influence on numerous musicians featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though initial releases mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they adored. It evolved into an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician the artist remembers how the series brought older hits back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

At that time, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” he notes.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and related lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, and demand for their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up a real gun and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce had already completed a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the track featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier promotion, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “Precisely what our team trying to create,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon on the stage. From day one, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out over a mere five-year period from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, corporate focus on peripherals died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the community active, and there’s expectations of a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has begun production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are both involved in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“We thought such titles might become like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue for future fans.”