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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero debuted across the Atlantic, giving everyday gamers the opportunity to become rock legends. Figuratively speaking, but try telling that anyone who's mastered the epic four-minute guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, Guitar Hero gave players a guitar-shaped controller to follow coloured notes moving along the display in time with a song. Each riff mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic performance.

The studio had already experimented with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, later purchased by Activision during the mid-2000s. Together, they established the groundwork for a surprising massively profitable franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians featured, showcasing classic bands to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, remembers the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used cover versions.

“We rerecorded all the music because the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights by themselves, it was nearly impossible. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain the project would flop. However, when the game took off, and record sales and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He continues: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers reached out expressing gratitude for introducing their kids to the music they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational thing.”

Timeless Music Finds a New Audience

Northern Irish group the Answer included Never Too Late on the 2008 game Guitar Hero World Tour. Guitarist Paul Mahon remembers how the series revived older hits to the forefront: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, younger audience. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people discovered it, abruptly it became trendy. This validated it, and got rid of the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave our catalog renewed popularity.”

In 2008, the Answer’s first record remained unreleased stateside, so Guitar Hero was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for the rock giants. “Their crew had on Never Too Late on the tour bus, and several knew us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Major Band Titles Enduring Impact

Rock’s biggest acts quickly capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others starring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and associated lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, the Aerosmith edition, it was said to have made the band greater revenue than any of their records. It sold more than half a million units in its first week, while sales of their songs rose of up to 40% at a time as the industry was already collapsing.

Guitar Hero still motivates nimble-fingered fanaticism within the community. Recently, an online personality completed a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s the challenging track – a notoriously difficult anthem made popular by the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. This track is difficult even in expert mode, let alone performed at double speed while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring nine months of practice.

“Guitar Hero is a fun, imaginary experience. If you play Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician Herman Li.

The band had already wrapped up a profitable run when Through the Fire and Flames appeared in the third game, but Li says it turned them into a household name. “I remember the record label informing us that our selling albums rapidly,” he says. “It exploded when we next toured, and we were playing right ahead of top acts at the event.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure via the game was so immense that it risked overshadow everything else the band has done. Last year, the track was used in promotional material for Despicable Me 4. “Previously I thought otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” he admits. “If you only listen to a single track, that's fine – everyone’s got a unique musical journey and I'm pleased we’ve been part of people’s lives”.

Enduring Legacy from the Iconic Controller

Top-tier marketing, be it for cars, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it evokes a desire. Was the game able to 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 creators felt that there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and they wanted to leverage innovation to enable everyone to participate”.

Most installments came out in just a half-decade between 2005 and 2010, including derivative titles like DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and the band-focused game. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments waned, except for a brief comeback in 2015.

Games like Clone Hero and newer releases have kept the scene alive, and there’s set to be a new product from the original publisher on the way. A new studio has begun work on its debut music game. The initial creators are participating in advisory roles. Is the world ready to embrace a new entry in the spirit of the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can update every year,” he remarks. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. It's entirely possible why it can’t persist for future fans.”