Mortal Kombat
In 1991, four people began work on a project that would change video games forever. Ed Boon handled programming while John Tobias managed art and story. John Vogel created graphics and Dan Forden designed the sound. Midway Games hired them to create a fighting game inspired by the upcoming film Universal Soldier starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The team wanted to make something harder and more serious than existing cartoonish fighters like Street Fighter II. They decided to use digitized sprites filmed from real actors instead of hand-drawn drawings. This choice made their characters look realistic compared to competitors. The first character Johnny Cage was actually a spoof on the Van Damme situation. Richard Divizio and Daniel Pesina were the actors who provided the motion capture for these early ninjas. Their pitch initially got rejected by Midway management but they persisted anyway. The title Mortal Kombat came from pinball designer Steve Ritchie after they struggled to trademark Mortal Combat. The series often misspells words with a K instead of C to emphasize the hard sound. John Tobias stopped writing and drawing for the series around 2000 after releasing Mortal Kombat 4.
The original three games released in 1992, 1993, and 1995 used two-dimensional fighting planes. Arcade cabinets featured five buttons: high punch, low punch, high kick, low kick, and block. Characters played almost identically except for their special moves. Mortal Kombat 3 added a sixth run button in 1995. The series transitioned to three dimensions with Mortal Kombat 4 in 1997 using polygon models animated via motion capture technology. Later titles like Deadly Alliance introduced multiple fighting styles per character including unarmed and weapon options. Goro utilized four arms while other characters had standard limbs. By 2011's Mortal Kombat reboot, each controller button corresponded directly to one limb: front punch, back punch, front kick, or back kick. This change made combat more precise than previous iterations. Some games included free-roaming modes called Konquest where players explored action-adventure environments. Mini-games appeared such as Chess Kombat, Puzzle Kombat, and Motor Kombat featuring super-deformed versions of characters. Secret content existed throughout the releases including hidden fighters like Reptile and Ermac who was added after player rumors about error macros.
The series faced major video game controversies due to its extremely violent content. Fatalities were finishing moves that killed defeated opponents instead of knocking them out. These gruesome acts led to court cases and public outcry across multiple countries. The original game paved the way for the Entertainment Software Rating Board system which launched in 1994. Germany banned every Mortal Kombat game for ten years from release until 2015. Australia also banned the franchise until February 2013 when regulations changed. South Korea banned Mortal Kombat 2011 while Indonesia, Japan, China, and Ukraine banned Mortal Kombat 11. Advertisements for these games often got censored or completely prohibited in various regions. The rift between gamers and adult society set a tone for what constituted gamer culture according to SuperData Research CEO Joost van Dreunen. Some games included non-violent finishing moves called Friendships and Babalities introduced in 1993 as satire against the controversy surrounding the series. Stage Fatalities allowed players to defeat opponents by throwing them into spikes or acid pools below platforms. Animalities let victors transform into animals to violently finish off enemies during matches.
Mortal Kombat expanded beyond arcade cabinets into films animated series comics and card games over several decades. Two major motion pictures released in 1995 and 1997 grossed approximately $70 million domestically and over $122 million worldwide despite mixed reviews. A live-action tour titled Mortal Kombat: Live Tour launched at the end of 1995 featuring characters on stage. An animated prequel film called Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins appeared alongside the first movie in 1995. Direct-to-video films began in 2020 with Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge followed by Battle of the Realms in August 2021. A new reboot film released the 23rd of April 2021 grossing over $84 million globally while streaming simultaneously on HBO Max. Comics published between 1994 and 1995 included six-issue miniseries plus one-shot specials dedicated to specific characters. BradyGames produced a collectible card game called Mortal Kombat Kard Game in 1995 described as worse than Magic: The Gathering. Music albums like Techno Syndrome became iconic themes used throughout the franchise. Web series such as Mortal Kombat: Legacy started releasing free episodes on YouTube starting April 2011.
Fighting games became popular among tournaments since the late 1990s with Mortal Kombat appearing at major events like Evo and Combo Breaker. Since the 2011 reboot the game has remained one of the most popular titles at these global competitions. Between 2014 and 2017 the title mostly disappeared from tournament scenes because NetherRealm Studios prioritized their Injustice series instead. Games returned to Combo Breaker in 2018 after that hiatus. A 2009 poll showed twenty-one percent of voters chose Mortal Kombat as their favorite fighting game series ranking third behind Street Fighter and Tekken. Martial artist Frankie Edgar claimed the series was far superior to Street Fighter in 2014. The name Mortal Kombat appeared in sitcoms movies and cultural studies books including From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games. Popular music artists referenced characters frequently in rap and hip-hop songs throughout the years. Crossover content featuring Sub-Zero Scorpion and Kitana appeared in Fortnite Battle Royale during its second season sixth chapter. Cosmetics based on these characters unlocked through battle passes while abilities could be
obtained as floor loot during matches.
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Common questions
Who created the original Mortal Kombat game in 1991?
Ed Boon handled programming while John Tobias managed art and story for the project. John Vogel created graphics and Dan Forden designed the sound.
When did Midway Games release the first three Mortal Kombat games?
The original three games released in 1992, 1993, and 1995 used two-dimensional fighting planes. Arcade cabinets featured five buttons including high punch, low punch, high kick, low kick, and block.
Why was Germany banned from selling Mortal Kombat games until 2015?
Germany banned every Mortal Kombat game for ten years from release until 2015 due to its extremely violent content. Fatalities were finishing moves that killed defeated opponents instead of knocking them out.
What date did the new reboot film release on HBO Max?
A new reboot film released the 23rd of April 2021 grossing over $84 million globally while streaming simultaneously on HBO Max.
Which year did NetherRealm Studios prioritize their Injustice series causing a tournament hiatus?
Between 2014 and 2017 the title mostly disappeared from tournament scenes because NetherRealm Studios prioritized their Injustice series instead.