Todd Hays Hints that New Book is the First of Several GameShark Projects

BALTIMORE, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gamers have spoken and they want cheat codes!

One week after launching a successful pre-order campaign for The Complete Cheat Code Compendium, GameShark Labs is excited to announce the project has raised more than $75,000 through Kickstarter, exceeding the initial goal of $10,000.

Created by InterAct Accessories co-founder Todd Hays, The Complete Cheat Code Compendium is a comprehensive book chronicling the rise and fall of video game cheating, from the early days of level selects and sound tests to the dominance of cheat devices, including GameShark and Game Genie. Told through exclusive interviews and first-hand accounts from industry veterans, the upcoming book will reveal the incredible true story of the most iconic hints, tips and secret codes.

Along with The Cheat Code Compendium, GameShark Labs has also unveiled a brand-new cheat code database called GameShark Code Vault. This is just the first of several upcoming projects developed by Todd Hays, including the recently-announced RetroShark. More information about the RetroShark and future products will be revealed in the coming months.

“For decades, secret codes and cheat devices made video games more fun and accessible for everybody,” explains Todd Hays. “It’s time to remind the world why cheat codes matter by telling the uncensored and often hilarious stories of your favorite hints and tricks, from the fights with the top console makers to the infamous codes that ruined careers. The Cheat Code Compendium is for anybody who can still recite the Konami code from memory.”

Cyril Lachel (Defunct Games) has been tapped to write The Cheat Code Compendium, along with a collection of historians and contributors made up of game developers, journalists and life-long fans of cheat codes.

Pre-orders for The Cheat Code Compendium, along with the GameShark Code Vault, are currently available through Kickstarter.

For more information about The Cheat Code Compendium: Contact Matt Regan at [email protected] or @GameSharkNow, GameSharkLabs.com or DefunctGames.com

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/763614590/gameshark-returns-the-complete-cheat-code-compendium

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