Konami Code Inventor Kazuhisa Hashimoto Passes Away

In 1986, designer Kazuhisa Hashimoto was working to port Konami’s Gradius to NES. Allegedly, the game was so excruciatingly difficult that Hashimoto couldn’t beat it— so, in order to complete the game, he embedded a cheat code into it that would allow him to unlock all of the powerups for the ship and give him the edge he needed to reach the end. Prior to the official release of Gradius, however, the code wasn’t removed, and it became a mainstay of the video game landscape to this day. While Gradius was the first game to feature it, the famous Konami Code became most widely known for its inclusion in Contra on NES (which granted 30 extra lives).

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

Sadly, Nintendojo has learned that Mr. Hashimoto has passed away. It was first announced by his former colleague, composer Yuji Takenouchi, on his Twitter page:

コナミコマンド「上上下下左右左右BA」の生みの親であるプログラマーの橋本和久さんが、昨夜、亡くなられたとのこと。ご冥福をお祈りいたします。

— TECHNOuchi ♓️🅰 (@TECHNOuchi) February 26, 2020

Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Mr. Hashimoto at this time. It’s amazing what a small oversight turned into; the Konami Code is a huge part of gaming culture and would be less rich without his contribution.

Source: Konami Twitter Account