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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, providing players everywhere the opportunity to become a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's nailed the epic lengthy instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by the developers, the game gave players a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes moving along the screen in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was acquired by Activision in 2006. Together, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact on numerous of the artists featured, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the initial financial challenges of licensing the recordings – even though the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced all the music since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced it would fail. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales and radio play were going up, everyone wanted to be in.”

He continues: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch expressing gratitude for exposing their kids to the songs they loved. It became an intergenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer had Never Too Late in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls the way the game brought classic rock back into vogue: “The game provided a bigger, new demographic. Typically such music was seen as music that was past it, however once it got featured on the title and teenagers were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, so the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and some of them knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in dedicated game editions centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said to have made the band more money than any of their studio albums. It moved more than half a million copies in its first week, and demand for Aerosmith’s music rose significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero continues to inspire nimble-fingered fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, a streamer completed an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by Guitar Hero – on Clone Hero, a no-cost alternative with similar gameplay but an array of personalization features. The song is difficult enough on the hardest setting, not to mention performed at increased tempo and without missing a single one of its near 4,000 notes. The streamer stated it took months of practice of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band had already completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I recall the record label informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it has threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in promotional material for a major film. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “Should you just listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own path in music and I’m glad we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or games, extends beyond than selling something – it evokes a desire. Did Guitar Hero tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “The excitement of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to create songs, and their goal was to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority of Guitar Hero games came out in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like the fan project and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s set to be something from the founders in development. A new studio has begun work on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to continue with new generations.”