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Marking 20 years since the legendary game first launched in North America, giving players everywhere the means to feel like a rock star. Not in reality, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who's nailed Free Bird’s four-minute guitar solo before an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the screen in time with the music. Each riff mimicked particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

The studio previously tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was purchased by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Together, they laid the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable series which made a remarkable impact for many of the artists featured, introducing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

Michael Dornbrook, former COO from the developer, recalls the initial financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured rerecorded tracks.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost prohibitive,” he says. “Even with the necessary permissions by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We couldn’t get bands like legendary groups – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and our team was pretty convinced the project would flop. However, when Guitar Hero became a hit, and record sales airtime increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was the number of mothers and fathers reached out and thanked us for exposing their kids to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational thing.”

Classic Rock Gains a New Audience

Irish blues-rock band the Answer included their track in the 2008 release the popular installment. Guitarist the artist recalls how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was seen as outdated material, however when it was featured on the game young people discovered it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It provided all our music renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained not available in the US, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the group during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies were playing the song during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” he notes.

Rock’s Heavyweight Titles and Lasting Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, with Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and related stories, imagery and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, reportedly earned the group greater revenue compared to their studio albums. It moved well over 500,000 copies in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase significantly during an era as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates quick-handed dedication within the community. Earlier this year, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough power-metal song made popular by the game – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar gameplay but an array of customisation options. The song is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of its near 4,000 notes. They claimed it took nine months of practice.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and enlist,” says DragonForce guitarist Herman Li.

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 widely recognized. “I recall our distributors calling to tell me that our selling albums rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we were playing right ahead of the headliners at the event.”

Indeed, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Last year, the track featured in a trailer for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought differently, but now I accept it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, it’s totally cool – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I’m glad we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Impact from the Iconic Controller

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, clothes or video games, goes further mere transactions – it evokes a longing. Was the game able to harness this? “That’s exactly what our team trying to create,” Dornbrook says. “That thrill of performing as a rock star on the stage. Since the beginning, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive urge to create songs, and they wanted to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

Most installments were released in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, featuring spin-offs like the DJ version, complete with a spinning deck, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Titles such as the fan project and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, and there’s set to be something from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered production on their first rhythm-based title. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be like Madden where you can update every year,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much new music that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been hopeful. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist with new generations.”