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Marking two decades since the legendary game debuted across the Atlantic, providing everyday gamers the tools to become a rock star. Not literally, though you'd be hard-pressed telling that someone who's mastered the epic four-minute instrumental break before a packed living-room audience.

Developed by the developers, the game provided users with a guitar-shaped controller to follow on-screen cues moving along the screen synchronized to a song. Every sequence mimicked specific notes, producing the sensation of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already experimented in the music genre prior to teaming up with RedOctane, which was purchased by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they laid the foundations for a surprising massively profitable series which made a significant impact for many of the artists included, showcasing decades-old groups to millions of gaming enthusiasts.

A former executive, ex-chief operating officer from the developer, recalls the initial budgetary hurdles of licensing the recordings – even though initial releases primarily featured cover versions.

“We reproduced all the music since the cost was so high,” he says. “Even with the publishing rights alone, it proved extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher was operating on a shoestring budget, and we were fairly certain it would fail. However, when the game took off, album purchases and radio play increased, everyone wanted to participate.”

He adds: “One of the remarkable aspects was how many mothers and fathers got in touch and thanked us for introducing their children to the songs they adored. It became a multigenerational phenomenon.”

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 remembers the way the game revived classic rock back into vogue: “Guitar Hero offered a larger, new demographic. Generally such music was seen as outdated material, however once it got featured on the game and teenagers discovered it, suddenly it was cool. This validated the genre, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ tag. It gave all our music a new life.”

In 2008, the band's first record remained unreleased in the US, meaning Guitar Hero served as a primary platform of discovery for the group as they went on US tour opening for the rock giants. “The roadies were playing Never Too Late during travel, and several knew us thanks to the game,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Impact

Rock’s heavyweight names soon capitalised on the series’ popularity, with Aerosmith, Metallica and others featuring in dedicated spin-off titles that focused on their music collections and associated lore, imagery and legendary status. For example, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reportedly to have made the group more money compared to their records. It sold more than 500,000 units upon release, while sales of Aerosmith’s music saw an increase of up to 40% at a time as the industry faced decline.

The series still motivates quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Earlier this year, an online personality achieved a remarkable feat of DragonForce’s Through the Fire and Flames – a notoriously difficult anthem popularized through the game – on Clone Hero, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive customisation options. The song is difficult even in the hardest setting, let alone played at increased tempo and without missing a single one of the thousands of cues. They claimed requiring months of practice to accomplish.

“The game offers a, imaginary experience. Just as with Call of Duty, that doesn’t mean you ought to pick up actual weapons and enlist,” notes musician Herman Li.

DragonForce previously wrapped up a successful tour before Through the Fire and Flames was featured on Guitar Hero III, yet he explains it made them widely recognized. “I remember our distributors informing us that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged on the subsequent tour, and we performed right ahead of top acts on the Mayhem festival.”

In fact, DragonForce’s exposure from Guitar Hero was so immense that it has risked eclipsing all other accomplishments. Recently, the song was used in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt otherwise, but I’ve made peace with it,” Li says. “If you only hear one DragonForce song, that's fine – everyone’s got their own musical journey and I'm pleased we played a role in fans' experiences”.

Enduring Legacy of a Iconic Controller

Top-tier promotion, be it for automobiles, apparel or games, goes further than selling something – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to harness this? “Precisely what we were aiming to achieve,” he confirms. “That thrill of performing as a rock star in the spotlight. Since the beginning, the co-founders felt that humans have a natural human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to participate”.

The majority installments were released in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, including spin-offs such as DJ Hero, including a turntable controller, and Band Hero. After that, the publisher’s interest on peripherals waned, except for a brief comeback several years later.

Titles such as Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have maintained the scene active, with set to be a new product from the founders on the way. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating as special advisers. Is the world prepared to welcome a new entry following Guitar Hero?

“We thought those games could be like Madden where you can releases,” Dornbrook says. “With abundant fresh tracks that it could be perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist for future fans.”