Ed Boon Talks 30 Years Of Mortal Kombat

Fighting games were a distant cousin to what they are today in the early ’90s. In arcades, fighting game genres emerged thanks to series such as Final Fight and Kung-Fu Master. Mortal Kombat is one such franchise. This bloody fighting game took elements from several other games and elevated them to 11. The series is known for its spine-ripping and heart-grabbing action. However, the game was technically sound and capable. 

It has been a remarkable franchise that continues to evolve and grow, showing tremendous staying power in an often brutal industry. After 30 years of existence, Mortal Kombat is still a dominant player in the fight game industry. Ed Boon is the series co-creator. We spoke to him about his series’ fascinating origins, evolution and current standing as one of the most powerful fighting games in the world.

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Please describe your perception of the fighting game genre, and the culture surrounding it in the early 1980s and the early 1990s.
Street Fighter II was an inspiration to us. We wanted Street Fighter II to be more violent and bad-boy. Before that, there was Karate Champ. But that was many years ago. The fighting game genre was not a genre to me. You wouldn’t find a lot of these games! There were many, but they weren’t all there. Street Fighter opened that door. Mortal Kombat smashed the door to the next. The next door was opened by Mortal Kombat. [a genre]Because everyone wanted a piece. The genre evolved from Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter’s successes before them.

When you spoke about the genre being nascent as a way to get in, were there any original ideas or concepts that you wanted to explore with your first Mortal Kombat?
You could see it like four young men, inspired by action films of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. They just mashed up all those ideas into “Wouldn’t it be awesome” moments and created a fighting video. Then they were free to let their imaginations run wild and do whatever they want. It was four young men in their 20s creating a game and no one is telling them how to play it. This is Mortal Kombat.

While the brutality and blood were obviously important parts of the formula, graphics are often overlooked when looking back on the history of Mortal Kombat. It was a rare sight to see digitalized representations of people in games at that time.
Some people don’t realize that Midway Games was the first company to make Mortal Kombat. Atari already had Pit Fighter, a few games and Midway Games before it. But Midway was the only company to start banking on digital graphics. You suddenly see a human onscreen because of photorealism. You are not drawing a sketch; this is a real person.

This really helped me to break down my attachment with the characters. You suddenly see an actor performing a task. It isn’t just somebody drawing a beautiful picture. It was a big deal, and Mortal Kombat felt like the culmination. While there were many games that performed well, Mortal Kombat is the best: large characters, realistic looks, and the introduction of gore in some way. Although Narc was able to include gore in a variety of games, Mortal Kombat proved so successful that it became a huge market. The game had such an impact that it was able to do things that Midway wasn’t doing. It was the culmination and integration of Mortal Kombat’s technology.

Is it possible that the controversy over this game was due to these characters looking so real onscreen and having horrible things happen?
Probably. It is. Is that possible? We would like to ask that question. We asked ourselves, “Can we achieve that?” At the time there wasn’t anyone saying no, so we went ahead. It was easy to think back and say, “Imagine playing a game with your three friends. You’re in your 20s.

In our 20s, we all have made mistakes. Maybe you are one of them. You guys created this videogame in your 20s, then suddenly you find politicians holding hearings. Was that a difficult time for you? You were worried that you would be in trouble or did you find yourself in another place of mind?
At one stage, I recall them talking about a rating system similar to movies. That made perfect sense, I think. It would be a mistake for a seven year-old to buy Mortal Kombat. You have a point. It’s a natural progression in an emerging technology. There are many ways to make videogames more realistic. Video games were approaching movies from a different angle. You can bet that somebody will investigate it. It was inevitable. Mortal Kombat wouldn’t have been released if it didn’t. It would have made it to the inevitable ratings list.

The Fatalities were one of the most prominent lightning rods at these hearings. They have been an iconic trademark of the franchise for a long time. It was said by you that this idea came from Street Fighter II’s Stun mechanic. They were dazed while you tried to hit them with a devastating blow. One thing that has always struck me was that although you released these games, you never made the necessary inputs to create these Fatalities. They wanted everyone to find them. There was a fear that they would not be discovered by the public.
Yes, that fear disappeared in a matter of hours. [Laughs]Sonya’s Fatality came up in my mind, which was a ridiculous game with a block button. My thoughts were, “If no one understands it, I might go and do it in an arcade, tell one person, then let it spread.” When we tested the game with Sonya it took about a week before anyone found it. It was because players realized that hidden items were there and it would tell them to “Finish them!” Players would just click the buttons, the joystick would ring, and it would let out a message that would say “Finish Them!” We didn’t mind when so many were playing and it did come out.

The situation became a detective one where they say, “Alright the Fatalities were a secret they didn’t tell us… What else are they not telling us?” In the early ’90s arcades I can still recall the existence of rumor culture around Mortal Kombat. There were things like Reptile, and other palette-swapped Ninjas. What were your favorite stories about your own games?
Animalities was a big one – you turn into an animal – to the point that we actually put it in the game. And the Reptile thing was something that I actually put in the game, and I didn’t tell anybody – not even the other guys on the team. It was intended to be extremely rare. It’s possible to fabricate something if something is rare.

You never know. This could be the truth if Reptile were true. Mortal Kombat would be described by me as “There is always a question mark above the game.” Are you sure that everything is possible? It was an important part of Mortal Kombat’s identity, Mystery. Secrets. This was loved by arcade gamers. When Mortal Kombat II was released, I can recall people trying to figure out how it worked. [Fatalities]One day there was an arcade. A guy stood with a friend and had a box of shoes. He would then cover his friend and do the Fatality. For a brief moment, he was cool because no one else could perform the Fatality. [Laughs]It was so ridiculous!

Without highlighting how crucial the characters were to Mortal Kombat’s success, it would seem like a disservice for us to speak about Mortal Kombat’s history. Could you briefly discuss the importance of this cast over time?
Yes, you are absolutely correct. Mortal Kombat’s most important aspect is its characters and their identities. The costumes they wear are simple, not complicated. All of them have different silhouettes. Take Raiden for example. He has the hat. Look at the Ninjas. They have the tight hood and all. Then they are able to do cool and unique things. The combination of “They really look cool”, “They have a cool story behind it,” and “They actually do cool stuff” made a group of characters seem more important than anyone could have imagined.

In Attract mode we put stories, in the hope that no one would ever read them since everyone was playing the game. This was just an additional layer of backstory, lore and mystery that players would add to their minds. Sub-Zero is mad about Scorpion. It’s likely that he did it! This was a remarkable way for players to attach themselves to the other.

Was there a time when Mortal Kombat became more popular than you thought?
This was almost four years after it happened. When I was working on Mortal Kombat III, it was like four years ago that I realized “Wow! This thing is massive!” I was II, while I was I. There was also a movie. And we were all so focused on the next title. While everyone was playing Mortal Kombat I, and it was getting the most attention, we were still working on II. While II was being all the rage, we worked on III. The moment was so intense that we didn’t get to breathe in the experience. It was after watching the 1995 movie that I was struck by “Wow! This thing is pretty huge!”

The 3D format was popular in fighting games starting around 2000. Mortal Kombat was one of those franchises. Comment do you view MK 3D games?
Mortal Kombat has three parts to it for me. There were the arcade games, the 3D games – Deadly Alliance, Deception, Armageddon – and then the more recent 9, 10, and 11. It was the 3D games that I think we added more content to than just the standard fighting game. One example was a puzzle-based game on Mortal Kombat. A Motor Kombat game – I actually remember going to Game Informer Showing Motor Kombat to me, I think [former Game Informer editor Andrew]Reiner’s initial words to Reiner were: “What is the hell?!”

Reiner can be heard saying it right now.
[Laughs] Yeah. We had a great time and it was just us having fun. Again, we had made a number of Mortal Kombat games, so we really wanted to start doing other things. We decided to include a chess match in Mortal Kombat. So I was thinking [the 3D games]They were great fun. They were much more easily accessible. This wasn’t a complicated system, it was just some of the fighting styles and other things. They turned out great, and I was happy. But, at some point it became clear, “Okay. We’ve done this.” We can now move onto something. That’s how the MK9s, and MKXs were born. The MK9s and MKXs were able to go back to 2D.

Before we get back to the 2D roots, let me briefly mention Armageddon. This was an attempt to create the ultimate 3D Mortal Kombat video game. It had all of the characters and you could make your own Kombatant. The story reached a crescendo that literally reset everything. How did the team intend to enter that game? Was that the beginning of a new franchise?
I think we were kind of in the mindset of, because that was Mortal Kombat 7 at that point, so we had told a number of Mortal Kombat stories. Each one was bigger than the last. We realized that we needed to reset the system or restart it. Since then, we’ve done it a couple more times – we did it with Mortal Kombat 9 and the end of Mortal Kombat 11. At some point we felt that it was imperative to reset the situation. It’s not enough to say “And this individual’s stronger than Onaga!” This person is even more powerful than Blaze!

We’ve also received several spin-offs of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Shaolin Monks is the most well-known, and it was released around this time. Do you ever hear of people raving about Shaolin Monks or wishing for a successor?
The first question is “Daily”. [Laughs]We’ve discussed many times the possibility of doing a sequel, a reboot, or even a complete remastering. Shaolin Monks has proven to be a very resilient game and it has lasted a long time. Although we had planned to start Mortal Kombat: Fire and Ice as a sequel with Scorpion and Sub-Zero earlier in the year, Midway and other circumstances made it difficult. This has been on our mind. Because we’re too busy with Injustice (Mortal Kombat) and Mortal Kombat (Injustice), it’s been on our mind. However, there’s no way for us to stop making other games.

Injustice is the name of your first contact with DC characters. You had it in Mortal Kombat Vs. DC, shortly after Armageddon. That was your last MK game under Midway. You may have used it as your launching point to future DC Universe projects.
That was it. This was also our first unique game mode. It featured a movie-like cinematic film that runs and has fights that you can participate in. Some people claim that Mortal Kombat 9 is the first one to do that. However, it was MK vs. DC. MK vs. DC was a fun game in that you could say “Well, which fighter would win: Batman or Scorpion?” but, at the end, it wasn’t something we wanted to do.

So we went with a T rating, and at the time – I don’t want to name names – but some of the people in charge of the approval of moves were hyper, hyper-restrictive. Our Fatalities were also very watered-down. Special moves like the ones that are regular were also very watered-down. It was very disappointing. [restricted]. From my perspective, it really made it clear that there is room for a pure DC game and a pure Mortal Kombat game. After that, Mortal Kombat 9 was released or Mortal Kombat 11. It was Mortal Kombat becoming Mortal Kombat again. We knew that Injustice would be the next step in our DC-only fight game.

You founded NetherRealm along with WB just before those games. As you start work on the new Mortal Kombat title as a company, can you tell us a bit about that process?
Midway started to dissolve in front us. Our team was very much intact, and unfortunately, we saw a number of other teams dissolve, and people leave – and a number of them left and have been very successful and still are successful doing games, which is nice to see. However, we made it very clear that we wanted our team to remain intact.

We did not want to be split or do anything similar. So when Warner Bros. came and was talking to us – we talked to a number of publishers – Warner Bros. was the first one who, the first thing they said to me was, “We want to give you six more months to finish the game.” They said that we would be finished in six months. This one should be huge,” which made all the difference. We started our 12-year relationship that consisted of Injustice and Mortal Kombat, Injustice and Mortal Kombat. It was a great home for us.

The result was Mortal Kombat 9 As Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat were the beginning of fighting as a genre, it almost seemed that Mortal Kombat 9 and Street Fighter IV ushered the new 2D revolution. Is it possible to feel this way at the time, or do you only see it now as you reflect back?
It was interesting to note that we decided at MK vs. DC, the next Mortal Kombat video, to go back to 2D fighting aircrafts, even before Street Fighter IV was released. That was something we knew. Street Fighter IV was released, which confirmed what we suspected or felt. Street Fighter IV was great and it did well, and so that really just energized us like, “Yeah, this is the way to go” with going back to a 2D fighting plane, but the graphics were still 3D.

This is a fascinating coincidence. These franchises seem to have almost been mirrored in poetic ways at different times throughout their histories. Is it possible to feel like you are a brother with Street Fighter?
A competitive brethren, I guess. The inevitable comparisons to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were made. Tekken also has a large share of the pie. These are my three favorite fighting games, however Street Fighter II has always been my favourite. This was part of the experience. Street Fighter IV I considered to be one of the greatest games in the series. Ultra Street Fighter IV really refined it with multiple releases. I was a big fan – and still am – of it.

Ultra Street Fighter IV is my favourite Street Fighter game. This surprise surprises many people.
Although Super Turbo may be popular in arcades and other places, Ultra is still a fantastic game!

Street Fighter has had many crossovers. We have already discussed that Mortal Kombat also has some crossovers. Sometimes you have mentioned on social media that in the past, Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat cross-over games were possible. Could you please elaborate why this has never been achieved?
The violence, I believe. I’m guessing it was that, but I never had a conversation with somebody at Capcom where they said it. It was always one of our employees calling, then they’ll call me back with something, which usually ends up being dead in the water.

While I realize Smash Bros. isn’t exactly what it takes to make a crossover fighting video game, this would still be my favorite crossover game announcement since Smash.
Yeah. Yeah. There are a few more, but they’re not the ones I should be saying. [Laughs]

It’s not unusual for people to enjoy reading between the lines.
Yeah. [Laughs]

People love the theory that they are making a Marvel fighting video. Is that you?
Is this a Marvel-style fighting game? […] No.

How was it to go back to Mortal Kombat 2D fighting style with MK9 and embrace what it meant being a rock-solid 2D fighter, and carry that DNA through the three Mortal Kombat games as well as two Injustice?
It was almost like returning from college. It’s like using muscles you don’t use in a while. “Oh, that’s right! This is the strategy and movement in the arena. We are a 2D video game. What I loved about it was the big difference from the last game.

We don’t hesitate to change the Mortal Kombat. Even though the previous game was enormous. MK11 is the biggest Mortal Kombat video, so when we make another Mortal Kombat, it won’t be a copy of MK11 but with better graphics. We’ll shake the cage. It’s going to be different. The question people are asking is going to be answered. [have]Like, “Why should this one matter?” You know what is different about the one …”? Then we will give you a huge answer.

You have many guest characters. This is something you did with Mortal Kombat and Injustice games. The MK games have been themed with the characters they feature, such as one that features horror film characters and another one featuring action-movie characters from the 1980s. Is it difficult to contact these companies about licensing the characters? Are these companies concerned about the possibility of their characters losing their heads or getting their hearts taken out?
We’re used to politely saying “no thanks” to people who send us videos of their Fatalties. They then say, “Oh by the way. This is what’s happening to your characters.” Some just respond with “nope,” which ends any discussion. Freddy Krueger, Jason or Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a common example. Most people are like, “Yeah. That’s what we did before. So no big deal.” We’ve all seen horror films, such as Alien, RoboCop and Terminator. It’s just like what I said before: we are children of the 1980s and that is the stuff we grew to love. 

One of the most important features of these older games is the ability to use Xray moves. They allow you flashy attacks that look almost like finishing moves. However, they are in a match so can do some serious damage. What is the origin of this concept? How can you make it work within your gameplay?
It was actually a number of movies, and even there was a game called Blitz: The League that Midway had done, and they had these moves that were similar to these X-ray moves, where you go inside the body, and it would break, and it was very visceral. The game was inspired from a variety of games, or movies. The Mortal Kombat version was inspired by it, which actually shows the bone being broken. It took us a while to create the technology and choreograph it. But it was worth it. To keep it visceral, I’m still showing our opponents the inner workings. 

There hasn’t been any major news regarding Mortal Kombat for a while. Can you give us more information about when the fans will hear about the future?
It’s a wish. It would be great. Tell you the truth: When I tweet, I will make a comment about Mortal Kombat that doesn’t have anything to do with it. And 75 percent of those responses were, “When’s Mortal Kombat twelve?” Is it Injustice 3? “What’s our next video game?” While I love the idea of revealing what we are planning, it’s not part of our fun. The teaser is shown first, followed by an announcement video and then gameplay. It’s a great idea and players love it. I don’t think we could just say that verbally. Imagine someone telling you that there is a surprise party happening at your house at 7 pm on Friday. This is not surprising.

The last Mortal Kombat 11 game was released in 2019, and it is now available for download. Aftermath was a significant expansion that added characters and stages to the game. It will be available in 2020.