Kazuhisa Hashimoto, the creator of the infamous Konami Code, has died, according to a message shared by composer Yuji Takenouchi.
Takenouchi, who previously worked with Konami, stated on Twitter that Hashimoto had died last night (February 25), saying that he hopes the programmer and developer continues to “keep making games in heaven.”
Hashimoto’s credits include Gradius 3 and Life Force. However, his most famous work was undoubtedly the creation of the Konami Code.
The Konami Code was first introduced in 1986, after Hashimoto inserted into Gradius after finding the NES game too difficult to play during testing. The code used the input up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start, with it granting the player a complete set of power-ups.
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Despite having its origins in Gradius, the Konami Code is most associated with Contra. Given the side-scrolling shoot ’em up’s high level of difficulty, many players were incapable of beating the game without the use of the infamous cheat. Inputting the code in Contra‘s title screen gave the player 30 lives, allowing them to have a much easier time of things.
The code would later be implemented in several Konami series, from Castlevania to Metal Gear, with it even appearing in games not published by the company. The likes of Fortnite, Final Fantasy, and League of Legends have all used the code in some capacity, further adding to its legacy.
