Kazuhisa Hashimoto, creator of the Konami Code, dies at age 61

Game developer Kazuhisa Hashimoto, known for creating the very famous Konami Code, has passed away at the age of 61.

The sequence of buttons (Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start) became very popular in certain Konami games back in the 1980s starting with “Contra” (NES) to later become a gaming reference and make its jump into popular culture, though the code was first included in the NES version of “Gradius.”

The “Konami Code” (aka “Konami Command” / コナミコマンド), used in “Contra” to get 30 lives to be able to finish the very-difficult game, was included first in the NES version of “Gradius” also due to the high level of difficulty, typical of many 1980s games made in Japan.

“I had one guy under me, and he played through the (“Gradius”) coin-op version. That one’s really tough. I hadn’t played that much and obviously couldn’t beat it myself, so I put in the Konami Code,” said Kazuhisa Hashimoto in an interview published at Siliconera.

Composer Yuji Takenouchi first reported on the passing of Kazuhisa Hashimoto.

“Programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto, the creator of the Konami Command “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A,” died last night. We pray that his soul may rest in peace.”

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 a.k.a. missingsoul/Mr.YT 🌍 (@TECHNOuchi) February 26, 2020

Konami, the company he worked for since 1981, also released the following tweet: “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.”

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

RIP, Hashimoto-san.
↑↑↓↓←→←→BA Start

[Sources]: @TECHNOuchi: “Programmer Kazuhisa Hashimoto, the creator of the Konami command “Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A,” died last night. We pray that his soul may rest in peace.” @Konami: “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.” Nintendo Enthusiast: The creator of the Konami Code, Kazuhisa Hashimoto, has passed away.