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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's nailed the epic four-minute instrumental break before an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes scrolling down the screen synchronized to the music. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the feel of a genuine performance.

The studio previously experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the foundations for an unlikely billion-dollar series which made a remarkable impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, ex-chief operating officer of Harmonix, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles in securing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song since the cost was so high,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once the game became a hit, album purchases airtime 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 children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers the way the game brought classic rock to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a larger, younger audience. Generally this had been considered music that was past it, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it was cool. This validated it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero was a key medium of discovery for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and some of them recognized us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles and Lasting Influence

Music's biggest acts soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions that focused on each band’s catalogue and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the band greater revenue compared to their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly at a time when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism within the community. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt featuring the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is challenging enough on the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. They stated it took months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, fantasy thing. If you play other games, it doesn't imply you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour when Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that we were records were moving like crazy,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we were playing just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, the band's visibility from Guitar Hero was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Recently, the song was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “In the past I felt otherwise, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own path in music and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy of a Plastic Guitar

The best marketing, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene alive, with set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can releases,” he remarks. “With abundant fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. There’s no reason why it can’t continue with new generations.”