Ed Boon is practically a king of the game, having worked as a designer since the late 1980s, starting with pinball and quickly moving into arcade games. And then he and three other men created Mortal Kombat and the rest is history.
The legendary fighting series gets the big 3-0 tomorrow, a date that marks the October 8, 1992 release date of the original Mortal Kombat arcade machine. And Boone worked on Mortal Kombat for all those 30 years, a truly unusual achievement. in video game design.
To celebrate the occasion, I caught up with the kind creator, now Creative Director of Mortal Kombat and Netherrealm Studios, to talk about his deep roots in the series, reminisce about his career at MK Development, and try to understand where he comes from. . here.
PlayStation.Blog: Where will Mortal Kombat 2022 be found?
Ed Boone: Well, you see, he's celebrating his 30th birthday in public. Sure... we're not done yet. I think it's probably as close as possible without revealing too much.
The biggest surprise for me is that the players came and stayed with us for so long. And so they've really stayed with us all along, making us stronger with each iteration of the game.
PSB: At 30 in Mortal Kombat, are you reflecting on your life and how it intersects with the series?
EB: Not so much from my life, but definitely from my career building game. Mortal Kombat is like a different kind of school for me now. Arcade days were like elementary school and 3D games were like, you know, middle school or high school.
And now the new Mortal Kombat 9, MKX and MK11 games are like College or Graduate School. I see my career as a different chapter because it's been so long. And for the last 30 years we've been making games pretty consistently, haven't we? We didn't stop and took a break for 10 years and then went back.
PSB: Will you be celebrating any other anniversaries besides the original arcade release date of the first game?
EB: I'm definitely celebrating the release of the arcade game. But there are several birthdays. For example, we started working on the game in 1991 when it was a Van Damme game and all.
And next year marks the 30th anniversary of Mortal Monday, the marketing campaign developed by Acclaim. They did a great job, they really took Mortal Kombat to a new level of visibility. And I think it's been 20 years since Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, right? I think we're going to get a round anniversary number for some Mortal Kombat releases over the next few years.
PSB: If you could go back in time and give you one piece of advice while working on the first Mortal Kombat, what would it be?
EB: Do you work that many hours? When you're in your twenties, you have almost unlimited energy. But at the same time, I don't think he'll listen to me then. We were so inspired. We were motivated to do something special. And every new thing that we saw that we put into the game and that people reacted to... it really weighed on us, so there wasn't anything stopping us at that moment. We were motivated. We were just on a mission.
PSB: And the original arcade game Mortal Kombat was made in less than a year right?
EB: Yes, about eight months in total. Yes indeed.
PSB: Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias recently took a look at the genesis of the game's famous dragon logo. Do you have a story you wanted to tell about the show, but somehow a different one, the interview wasn't mentioned?
EB: Of course it is. And I try to tell those stories on social media by showing footage that we took of the actors moving through the movements. And there's, you know... I definitely have an idea of writing some kind of book or something when I have the time. Because there have been hundreds of similar stories over the years. Every once in a while you'll remember one and say, "Oh, that's right!" You know because it's been 30 years.
PSB: It looks like a great book! What do you think made Mortal Kombat last 30 years? What's the secret?
EB: I think the secret is just the hard work and constant releases we make. We don't take a 10-year break and then come back. And we have to do something new in every game. If you look at Mortal Kombat 1 or Deadly Alliance or Mortal Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat 9, Mortal Kombat X... they don't play the same, they don't look the same. They all bring something new to the table, in combat mechanics that no other game has. And so there is always a freshness in the work.
The graphics have obviously improved significantly. So I think that having a new version coming out regularly has really helped. There are things outside of games that have really broadened their horizons: the movies, the animations, all the merch... they all really put it in the spotlight.
PSB: You may not be able to say much, but how is the rest of the film going? I saw it was reported in the press ...
EB: Alright, I would say. [Laughs] I guess I shouldn't say too much. But I like being there. And Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind is a great start too, so we really have a lot to cook.
PSB: If you went back to 1991 and thought there would be three or four Mortal Kombat movies, TV shows, and animations in the future... what would be your reaction?
EB: unbelief. I... it's fun. With each of these major Mortal Kombat events expanding its reach, two come to mind when Acclaim decided to pour $10 million into an advertising campaign and Mortal Monday and, you know, kids screaming Mortal Kombat , close. . On road. I remember they showed me this video and said, "You're going too far, it's not going to be that big." And I couldn't have been more wrong.
And that's when they decided to make a movie based on him. I was like, "You're putting too many eggs in one basket." ... .So I'm always a bit more cautious or pessimistic. But I never [assumed] 'Oh, this is going to be the coolest thing in the world.' It's always been a surprise to me that you make it so big with the people working on the game.
PSB: In the world of fighting game development, do you have many opportunities to interact with other people your own age?
EB: Not often. I'm a big fan of the game, I love Tekken, I love Street Fighter and I play these games every time a new version comes out. You know of course Guilty Gears and Samurai Showdown and all that stuff are great, I love them.
But a lot of them live in Japan and develop their games, and I'm not in Japan very often. So maybe every now and then we'll meet up at E3 or something. But I don't have that much opportunity.
PSB: What are your thoughts on the fighting game scene more generally at the moment? It is healthy?
EB: I'm very positive. For example Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, I think these are very popular games right? These are not special games that some people play. They have a lot of charm and are very different.
I think everyone understands that you can't get too complex or that you need a level that's open to the general public and doesn't count frames... they have it, but they put elements so deep that hardcore gamers can use them really swallow . So I'm really looking forward to the next few years. We have a lot of big, high quality players to beat.
PSB: Do you think the fight scene will change?
EB: Technology yes, of course. Every game that comes out has newer and better graphics. Online gambling is also important. Of course, since games are best played online, this creates a larger audience and variety of opponents to play against. And then the show: Events like EVO are becoming more and more popular and show what you can do with these games. So many players get inspired by watching the pros play.
PSB: Street Fighter celebrates another anniversary this year, its 35th anniversary. Going back in time to 1991, what was it like seeing Street Fighter II for the first time?
EB: What struck me about Street Fighter II was the size of the characters. For their time, they were huge on screen. And it was a lot of fun and inspired us to make our characters bigger on screen.
You could say that The Karate Champ really started the genre. Street Fighter II made him become a phenomenon. Some people credit Street Fighter II and arcade fighting games for causing such a sensation.
PSB: Have you played well lately?
EB: No...my days are full. There are many games I want to play and I've definitely seen previews of them. So I have a lot of games that I will definitely try, but I haven't played in a long time.
I can't wait to play the new God of War. It will also be fun to test.
PSB: And back to Mortal Kombat, where will the series go from here?
EB: You know, you could have asked me the same question 10 years ago, 20 years ago. One of the best things about working on Mortal Kombat games so far has been that we now have team members who weren't even born when Mortal Kombat came out.
And that's why we always have a wide range of players, experiences, ages, diversity and backgrounds. So new ideas never end. And while I don't think I can predict them... I'm 100% sure there's always something new to offer with every iteration of Mortal Kombat.
I can say that with great confidence. Mortal Kombat will feel fresh and new throughout, pushing the boundaries with certain aspects of game design.
Note: This interview has been condensed for brevity and clarity.