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Marking 20 years since the legendary game hit the market in North America, offering players everywhere the tools to feel like rock legends. Figuratively speaking, though you'd be hard-pressed convincing anyone who has mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break in front of a packed living-room audience.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero gave players a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues moving along the display in time with a song. Every sequence corresponded to particular chords, producing the feel of a genuine live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games before partnering with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant during the mid-2000s. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise which made a significant impact on numerous musicians included, introducing decades-old bands to millions of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, recalls the early financial challenges in securing the songs – even though the first two games primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced every song since the dollar figure prohibitive,” he says. “Despite having the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure acts such as the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. But once Guitar Hero became a hit, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to be in.”

He adds: “Among the remarkable aspects was the number of parents reached out and thanked us for exposing their children to the songs they loved. It evolved into a multigenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Northern Irish blues-rock band one featured act included Never Too Late in the 2008 release Guitar Hero World Tour. Lead musician Paul Mahon remembers how the series brought classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a bigger, new demographic. Generally such music was considered outdated material, but then once it got included in the title young people were finding it, suddenly it was cool. That legitimised the genre, and got rid of the outdated label. It provided our catalog renewed popularity.”

At that time, the band's first record was still unreleased stateside, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the band as they went on a North American tour supporting the rock giants. “Their crew were playing the song on the tour bus, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Major Band Spin-offs and Lasting Influence

Rock’s heavyweight names soon took advantage of the game's success, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in dedicated spin-off titles centered around each band’s catalogue and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group greater revenue compared to their records. It moved well over 500,000 units in its first week, while sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% during an era when the music business was already collapsing.

The series continues to inspire nimble-fingered dedication within the community. Recently, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with similar mechanics but an array of customisation options. This track is challenging enough on expert mode, let alone performed at increased tempo while hitting every one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated it took months of practice to accomplish.

“The game is a fun, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” notes DragonForce guitarist the artist.

DragonForce previously completed a profitable run when their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them a household name. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were records were moving rapidly,” he shares. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed just before top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

Indeed, the band's visibility via the game proved so vast that it threatened to eclipsing all other the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “In the past I thought differently, but now I accept it,” Li says. “If you only hear a single track, that's fine – each person has a unique path in music and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

The Lasting Legacy from the Plastic Guitar

Top-tier marketing, whether it’s for automobiles, apparel or video games, goes further mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what our team aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a music icon in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural 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 spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest in plastic instruments died down, except for a short-lived revival in 2015.

Titles like Clone Hero and newer releases have maintained the scene alive, and there’s expectations of something from the original publisher on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on its debut music game. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Are gamers ready to embrace a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “There’s so much fresh tracks it could remain evergreen, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason why it can’t persist for future fans.”