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It has been two decades after Guitar Hero hit the market in North America, offering everyday gamers the means to become a rock star. Not literally, but try telling that anyone who's mastered Free Bird’s lengthy guitar solo in front of an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Created by Harmonix, Guitar Hero provided users with a plastic guitar peripheral to follow on-screen cues scrolling down the screen in time with the music. Every sequence corresponded to specific notes, creating the feel of an authentic live show.

Harmonix had already tried its hand with rhythm games prior to teaming up with the publisher, which was acquired by the gaming giant in 2006. Collaboratively, they established the groundwork for an unlikely billion-dollar franchise that had a significant influence on numerous of the artists featured, showcasing decades-old groups to a new generation of younger players.

A former executive, former COO of Harmonix, remembers the early financial challenges of licensing the songs – despite the fact the first two games mostly used rerecorded tracks.

“We reproduced every song because the cost prohibitive,” he explains. “Even with the necessary permissions alone, it was extremely difficult. We failed to secure bands like the Who – the publisher had virtually no money, and we were pretty convinced it would fail. But once Guitar Hero took off, album purchases and radio play increased, all artists desired to be in.”

He adds: “Among the amazing things was the number of parents reached out expressing gratitude for exposing their children to the music they loved. It became an intergenerational phenomenon.”

Timeless Music Gains a New Audience

Irish group one featured act included Never Too Late on the 2008 game the popular installment. Lead musician Paul Mahon recalls how the series revived classic rock to the forefront: “The game provided a bigger, younger audience. Typically such music was considered outdated material, but then when it was featured on the title young people were finding it, suddenly it became trendy. That legitimised it, eliminating the ‘dad rock’ label. It gave our catalog a new life.”

In 2008, the Answer’s debut album remained not available stateside, meaning the game was a key medium for exposure for the band during their a North American tour opening for AC/DC. “The roadies had on the song during travel, and some of them recognized us from Guitar Hero,” Mahon says.

Rock’s Heavyweight Spin-offs Enduring Influence

Music's biggest acts quickly took advantage of the series’ popularity, including bands like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen featuring in specialized spin-off titles that focused on each band’s catalogue and related lore, visuals and rock’n’roll mythology. In the case of, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it was said earned the group greater revenue than any of their records. It sold well over half a million units upon release, and sales of their songs saw an increase of up to 40% at a time when the music business faced decline.

The series continues to inspire quick-handed fanaticism among its fans. Recently, a streamer achieved an impressive attempt featuring Through the Fire and Flames – an infamously tough anthem made popular by Guitar Hero – using a fan-made version, a freeware game with almost identical mechanics and extensive personalization features. This track is challenging even in the hardest setting, not to mention played at increased tempo while hitting a single one of the thousands of cues. The streamer stated requiring months of practice of practice.

“Guitar Hero offers a, fantasy thing. Just as with other games, that doesn’t mean you should use actual weapons and go to war,” says musician the artist.

The band previously completed a successful tour before their hit was featured on Guitar Hero III, but Li says it made them widely recognized. “I remember the record label calling to tell me that we were selling albums rapidly,” he says. “Popularity surged when we next toured, and we performed just before the headliners at the event.”

In fact, the band's visibility via the game was so immense that it risked eclipsing everything else the band has done. Recently, the song featured in a trailer for a major film. “Previously I felt differently, 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 of people’s lives”.

Enduring Impact from the Plastic Guitar

The best promotion, whether it’s for cars, apparel or games, extends beyond mere transactions – it inspires a desire. Was the game able to tap into that? “That’s exactly what we were trying to create,” he confirms. “The excitement of being a rock star in the spotlight. From day one, the co-founders believed there’s an instinctive human desire to make music, and their goal was to use technology to enable everyone to do it”.

The majority installments came out in just a five-year period between 2005 and 2010, featuring derivative titles such as DJ Hero, complete with a turntable controller, and Band Hero. Subsequently, the publisher’s interest on peripherals died down, aside from a short-lived revival several years later.

Games like Clone Hero and Fortnite Festival have kept the scene active, with expectations of something from the original publisher in development. Recently formed developers has entered work on their first rhythm-based title. Original co-founders are participating in advisory roles. Are gamers prepared to welcome another game following the classic?

“Our team believed such titles could be similar to sports games where you can releases,” he remarks. “There’s so much new music it could remain perennially popular, so I’ve always been optimistic. There’s no reason for it to persist with new generations.”