In a recent interview with Dan Schawbel, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon discussed the decision to reboot the Mortal Kombat franchise with Mortal Kombat 1. One of the key reasons for the reboot, according to Boon, was that the developers felt they had reached a creative limit with the story and characters in Mortal Kombat 11.
“We had taken our main characters, like Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden, through a 30-year arc that we really felt we hit the absolute peak of where that story could go. We couldn’t think of a yet more powerful villain that made the last one look weak. And so we felt like we hit a ceiling, and it just felt like time to reset everything.”
Ed Boon
Boon also noted that the series had become increasingly complex and convoluted over the years, making it difficult for new players to get into the franchise. The reboot was an opportunity to simplify the story and make it more accessible to a wider audience.
In addition to the creative limitations of the story, Boon also acknowledged the importance of nostalgia for the Mortal Kombat franchise. Many fans have fond memories of playing the original games, and Boon wanted to make sure that the reboot respected the legacy of the series while also creating something new and exciting for fans.
“We wanted to keep the characters because those are the things that the players are falling in love with. ‘Don’t you dare get rid of Scorpion’, ‘don’t you dare get rid of Sub-Zero’. Especially if someone’s new picking up the game who hasn’t played since the 90s, they’re like, ‘Well, I want to play as Raiden or Sub-Zero or one of those characters because that’s who they were familiar with.’”
Ed Boon
I liked the idea of Mortal Kombat 1, and while it has its issues, I think they did a really great job rebooting the series again. It’s one of those things that pleases fans of the old because the old history is still part of it, but this new history is also true.
