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Marking two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, offering everyday gamers the means to feel like a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that someone who has mastered the epic lengthy guitar solo before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to match coloured notes scrolling down the display in time with a song. Each riff corresponded to particular chords, creating the sensation of a genuine performance.

The studio previously experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by Activision during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for an unlikely massively profitable series that had a remarkable influence on numerous of the artists included, introducing classic bands to millions of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Despite having the necessary permissions alone, it proved nearly impossible. We couldn’t get acts such as the Who – RedOctane was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero took off, and record sales and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was how many parents got in touch and thanked us for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains Younger Fans

Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls the way the game brought older hits back into vogue: “The game provided a larger, new demographic. Typically such music was considered outdated material, however when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, abruptly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It provided all our music a new life.”

At that time, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so the game was a key medium of discovery for the band during their US tour supporting the rock giants. “The roadies were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen starring in specialized game editions centered around their music collections and related stories, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It moved well over half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose significantly at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates nimble-fingered dedication among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt of DragonForce’s the challenging track – an infamously tough anthem popularized through the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is difficult enough on expert mode, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of its near 4,000 notes. They stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use a real gun and enlist,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember our distributors calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing just before the headliners on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it threatened to eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – each person has their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact of a Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or video games, extends beyond mere transactions – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “Precisely what we were trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of being a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the creators believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to allow people to participate”.

Most installments were released in just a half-decade from 2005 to 2010, featuring spin-offs such as the DJ version, including a spinning deck, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Games like the fan project and Fortnite Festival have kept the community alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher in development. A new studio has entered production on its debut rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world prepared to welcome another game in the spirit of Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden allowing annual update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music it could remain evergreen, thus I remain optimistic. It's entirely possible for it to continue with new generations.”