# Ed Boon
**Ed Boon** is an American video game designer and programmer who co-created the fighting game series [Mortal Kombat](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat) in 1992 with [John Tobias](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-tobias) and has worked on every entry in the series since, a span of more than 30 years.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) He is Chief Creative Officer for Mortal Kombat and [NetherRealm Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/netherrealm-studios), the Warner Bros.-owned studio that develops the series.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature work | Co-creator of Mortal Kombat (1992), developed in about eight months and released in arcades on October 8, 1992[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) |
| Career start | Joined Williams Electronics in 1986, programming pinball machines before moving to video games[2](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/mortal-kombat-ed-boon-interview) |
| Current role | Chief Creative Officer for Mortal Kombat & NetherRealm Studios[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) |
| Co-creators | John Tobias, Dan Forden, and John Vogel formed the four-person original team[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise) |
| Voice work | Voice of Scorpion, one of the series' most iconic characters[4](https://nerdist.com/article/mortal-kombat-11-ed-boon-27-years-interview/) |
| Education | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3) |
| Recognition | Inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame in 2022[6](https://gameinformer.com/2022/02/24/ed-boon-on-his-aias-hall-of-fame-induction-and-career-in-video-games-and-pinball) |
## Early life and pinball years
Boon was born in Rogers Park, a neighborhood of Chicago, and moved with his family to the suburb of Evanston/Skokie in about fourth grade; he lived in the Chicago area until he went away to college.[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3) In high school he owned an Atari 800 and taught himself BASIC and then assembly language, writing graphics code as a hobby while assuming he would need a separate regular job to pay the bills.[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3)
After graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he joined Williams Electronics in 1986 after a head hunter spotted his resume and sent it to the company; the job he interviewed for involved programming pinball machines.[2](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/mortal-kombat-ed-boon-interview) • [5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3) His first assignment was adding lamp and display effects to a nearly finished machine called *Millionaire*, and he went on to program *Space Station*, *Taxi*, and *Black Knight 2000*, the last pinball machine he worked on before moving to the video game department.[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3) He has said that for a long time he called himself a programmer rather than a designer, because the two roles had not yet separated as professions.[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3)
## Creating Mortal Kombat
Boon moved to the video game side of Williams, which became Bally/Midway, to work on the *High Impact* football game around the time John Tobias joined in 1989.[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise) Work on Mortal Kombat began in 1991, initially as a licensed fighting game starring [Jean-Claude Van Damme](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-claude-van-damme); when that idea fell through, Boon and Tobias developed their own concept instead.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) • [7](https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/osgcon2019.pdf) The team of four, Boon, Tobias, sound designer Dan Forden, and artist John Vogel, built the game in about eight months.[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise) • [1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/)
The game's defining technical choice was "digitizing": real actors were filmed shadowboxing in costume, and the footage became the character sprites, giving the game a realistic look that distinguished it from the drawn characters of [Street Fighter II](https://www.edgepedia.org/street-fighter-ii).[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise) • [8](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a27183368/mortal-kombat-history-ed-boon-interview/) Tobias, the co-designer and lead artist, handled story, art, and characters, while Boon, the co-designer and programmer, handled the gameplay.[3](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise) The arcade game was released on October 8, 1992.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/)
**Mortal Monday and controversy.** When publisher Acclaim brought the game to home systems, it spent $10 million on an advertising campaign called Mortal Monday. Boon recalled telling the marketing team they were going too far and that the campaign would not be that big; he later said he could not have been more wrong.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) The game's gory "fatality" finishing moves drew political and parental backlash, and by 1995 Mortal Kombat had become one of the biggest and most controversial video games of its time.[8](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a27183368/mortal-kombat-history-ed-boon-interview/)
## The Midway years and the move to NetherRealm
Boon led the series through the 1990s and 2000s at Midway, including *Mortal Kombat: Deception*, where he was game design and product lead, and *Mortal Kombat: Armageddon*, the final Mortal Kombat game made under Midway.[9](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/credit/7194-ed-boon) • [10](https://gameinformer.com/interview/2022/10/11/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat) Midway faced financial difficulties during this period and relied heavily on Mortal Kombat as a dependable seller.[5](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3)
*Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe* (2008), made shortly after [Armageddon](https://www.edgepedia.org/armageddon), introduced the studio's cinematic story mode, in which a movie-like narrative plays with fights embedded in it. Boon has noted that many people credit Mortal Kombat 9 with inventing this structure, but it began with MK vs. DC.[10](https://gameinformer.com/interview/2022/10/11/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat) The reboot *Mortal Kombat 9*, released in 2011, became the most successful title in the franchise's history to that point.[8](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a27183368/mortal-kombat-history-ed-boon-interview/)
## NetherRealm Studios
At NetherRealm Studios, Boon's team alternated between Mortal Kombat games and the Injustice series, a [DC Comics](https://www.edgepedia.org/dc-comics) fighting franchise designed to be a completely different fighting game from Mortal Kombat.[11](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_December_2012.pdf) Boon has described the studio's approach as requiring a big change with every game, in story, characters, and fighting mechanics, rather than putting prettier graphics on an existing engine.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) • [12](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-ed-boon-discusses-what-makes-mk11-u/1100-6464545/)
The series' commercial scale under his leadership is substantial: [Mortal Kombat 11](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-11) sold over 15 million copies by 2022, and [Mortal Kombat 1](https://www.edgepedia.org/mortal-kombat-1) (2023) surpassed 6.2 million sales, which NetherRealm reported as the best-selling fighting game of its console generation.[13](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/mortal-kombat-1-has-cemented-itself-as-the-best-selling-fighting-game-of-this-generation-despite-ending-support-after-just-20-months-were-still-committed-to-refining-mk1-to-be-our-most-balanced-game/) Boon has also attributed the franchise's durability partly to the relative simplicity of its controls compared with other fighting games, which lowers the barrier to entry for casual players.[2](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/mortal-kombat-ed-boon-interview)
## Recognition
Boon was inducted into the [AIAS Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/aias-hall-of-fame) in 2022, the same year Mortal Kombat marked its 30th anniversary.[6](https://gameinformer.com/2022/02/24/ed-boon-on-his-aias-hall-of-fame-induction-and-career-in-video-games-and-pinball) • [1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) He has been described as one of the longest-tenured active game developers, having worked in the field since 1986 and on Mortal Kombat since the 1992 original.[2](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/mortal-kombat-ed-boon-interview) Beyond games, he served as an executive producer on the Mortal Kombat film sequels and has been involved with the franchise's movies, animation, and merchandising.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/) • [14](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/mortal-kombat-co-creator-ed-boon-says-they-had-a-checklist-of-what-they-didnt-include-in-the-first-movie-for-the-sequel-and-it-felt-immediately-more-authentic/)
## References
1. [Ed Boon talks 30 years of Mortal Kombat, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2022/10/07/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat/)
2. [Mortal Kombat co-creator's lessons learned from a legendary career, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2023/06/21/mortal-kombat-ed-boon-interview)
3. [ImMortal Mystique: Mortal Kombat's John Tobias on the Creation and Evolution of a Franchise, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/immortal-mystique-mortal-kombat-s-john-tobias-on-the-creation-and-evolution-of-a-franchise)
4. [MORTAL KOMBAT Co-Creator Ed Boon on the 27 Year Journey to MK 11, Nerdist](https://nerdist.com/article/mortal-kombat-11-ed-boon-27-years-interview/)
5. [The Definitive Interview With Mortal Kombat's Ed Boon, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/12/01/ed-boon-interview-2016?PostPageIndex=3)
6. [Ed Boon On His AIAS Hall Of Fame Induction And Career In Video Games And Pinball, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/2022/02/24/ed-boon-on-his-aias-hall-of-fame-induction-and-career-in-video-games-and-pinball)
7. [Fighting Games, Old School Gamer Magazine](https://www.oldschoolgamermagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/osgcon2019.pdf)
8. [Mortal Kombat Timeline - Creator Ed Boon Talks Mortal Kombat History, Failures, and Fighting Game Legacy, Esquire](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a27183368/mortal-kombat-history-ed-boon-interview/)
9. [Game Credits - Ed Boon, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/credit/7194-ed-boon)
10. [Ed Boon Talks 30 Years Of Mortal Kombat, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/interview/2022/10/11/ed-boon-talks-30-years-of-mortal-kombat)
11. [Game Developer, December 2012, GDC Vault](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_December_2012.pdf)
12. [Mortal Kombat's Ed Boon Discusses What Makes MK11 Unique And How Fatalities Are Made, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/mortal-kombats-ed-boon-discusses-what-makes-mk11-u/1100-6464545/)
13. [Mortal Kombat 1 has cemented itself as the best-selling fighting game of this generation, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/mortal-kombat-1-has-cemented-itself-as-the-best-selling-fighting-game-of-this-generation-despite-ending-support-after-just-20-months-were-still-committed-to-refining-mk1-to-be-our-most-balanced-game/)
14. [Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon says they had a checklist of what they didn't include in the first movie for the sequel, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/action-movies/mortal-kombat-co-creator-ed-boon-says-they-had-a-checklist-of-what-they-didnt-include-in-the-first-movie-for-the-sequel-and-it-felt-immediately-more-authentic/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Game industry › Creators and industry people › Game designers, directors, and creative leads*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license