In 1993, InterAct Founder and President, Todd Hays launched GameShark immediately after the Game Genie began to wither and changed how gamers interacted with their favorite titles for the next dozen years! From the Saturn and PlayStation era, all the way to N64/PlayStation 2/GameCube/ Dreamcast/ and GameBoy handheld eras, the GameShark helped over 15 million players finally reach the endings of the games they loved – selling over $650 million in products worldwide, in a gaming marketplace that was eleven times smaller than today.
And now, he’s doing it again – fusing nostalgia, a little AI, and a whole lot of creativity into a new chapter of gaming history.
Starting first with a new Kickstarter campaign, Hays is inviting fans to join the rebirth of the Shark legacy with The GameShark Cheat Code Compendium – a massive collector’s edition book and digital companion dedicated to the top 100 hardest classic games of all time. The book will be co-published by many of the industry’s best vintage gaming journalists.
The compendium features every known (and plenty of unknown) cheat code, tip, trick, hack, mod, and strategy ever created for those AAA titles, plus a digital add-on platform that provides codes, on-screen walkthroughs, and real-time strategy guides for an additional 400 fan-favorite classics. The online interactive guides expand the experience far beyond the printed book, allowing players to relive and master the toughest titles ever made and will include “behind the scenes looks” at the developers, publishers, and programmers that created those gaming masterpieces.
Future updates will see the release of additional collectible book titles covering games from every retro gaming system and the recent consoles too, organized by genre and more.
But the most exciting part – funds raised from the campaign will also support two groundbreaking products that will power GameShark innovation for a new age and will help introduce the GameShark to a new generation:
⦁ RetroShark™ – an AI-powered gaming peripheral and voice-interactive assistant that will act as a smart, voice-interactive companion for retro gamers. RetroShark will listen, respond, and help gamers with live hints, strategies, and code suggestions across popular retro games on PC emulator platforms.
⦁ UpShark™ – a revolutionary AI engine that transforms classic 2D pixel games into rich, three-dimensional visual experiences, removing pixelation and reimagining retro gameplay for modern screens.
The GameShark universe is also set to expand into entertainment as GameShark reintroduces its beloved CodeBoy character through a new comic book series debuting later in 2026. The title will launch in GameStop and comic book specialty retailers nationwide, with early editions delivered first to Kickstarter backers and community members.
“GameShark empowered gamers to control the game,” said Hays. “Now we’re empowering them again – not by breaking games, but by enhancing how we play, learn, and experience them.”
Fans can soon sign up for launch alerts at GameSharkLabs.com, aigameshark.com, and @GameSharkNow and the Kickstarter landing page will be sent in our next release, but for your viewing pleasure we have included the following KICKSTARTER VIDEO
Help us bring GameShark to a new generation of gamers, help us turn the lights back on!
Press Release
