The infamous cheat of all gaming – code up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a and start. It’s creator, former Konami employee Kazuhisa Hashimoto, has died and he was 61-years-old.
This was also confirmed by Konami of the creator death on Wednesday which they have announce it on Twitter saying “We are saddened to hear about the passing of Kazuhisa Hashimoto, a deeply talented producer who first introduced the world to the ‘Konami Code.'”
We are saddened to hear about the passing of Kazuhisa Hashimoto, a deeply talented producer who first introduced the world to the “Konami Code”.
Our thoughts are with Hashimoto-san’s family and friends at this time. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/vQijEQ8lU2
— Konami (@Konami) February 26, 2020
Contra has change the whole pop culture of gaming. The story of the cheat code goes that Hashimoto, who had to port the arcade title to the NES, added it so that he could properly playtest the notoriously difficult game. However, he forgot to remove the code, and it made its way into the final game that shipped to consumers.
But it’s thanks to Contra so many people in North America have fond memories of the cheat. By entering the Konami Code, you got 30 lives, which made the tough-as-nails title manageable. Since then, it’s made its way into countless other games and, more broadly, into popular culture.
So let’s take a moment of silence for this great creator that has bless us with good moments.
