The Creator Of The WWF’s Original Classic Arcade Video Games Passes Away

apanese video game developer/director Yoshihisa Kishimoto passed away on April 2, 2026 at the age of 64 according to an announcement from his son on social media this week.  Kishimoto was nicknamed “The Godfather Of Beat ‘Em Up Games” after his career with Technos Japan Corp in the 1980s and 1990s.

Kishimoto is best known as the creative force of the legendary Double Dragon series of video games that began in 1987. It started as an arcade game in 1987 and then quickly became a huge hit at home on the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. Other versions and sequels would later appear on Nintendo Game Boy, Super Nintendo, and Playstations. 

For pro wrestling fans, Kishimoto was the director of the WWF’s first arcade game WWF Superstars in 1989. He would follow it up with WWF WrestleFest in the early 1990s. 

Yoshihisa Kishimoto’s WWF video games remain so popular to this day you can buy “all in one” home arcade versions in different sizes and prices. They are for sale at Best Buy and other retail outlets. They include WWF Superstars and WWF WrestleFest, along with The Big Pro Wrestling and Super Dodgeball which were also from Kishimoto and Technos Japan Corp. https://www.bestbuy.com/product/wwe-counter-series-game-with-8-liquid-crystal-screen-4-games-windows/J3ZC8SPXFP

Technos Japan Corp went bankrupt and folded in 1996 but various other companies would buy the rights and intellectual properties of their classic games over the decades to continue the content.