
For well over 30 years now, Ed Boon has been pushing the boundaries of the video game industry with many accolades and awards under his belt already celebrating his works, and now he can add an even more pretigious title to his wall.
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences recently announced that the Mortal Kombat Co-Creator will be inducted as the 25th member of their Hall of Fame at the upcoming D.I.C.E. Awards, and Boon finally responded to the news with a bit of a heartfelt message to everyone.
“I’d been given a heads up before and had time to process and appreciate this announcement,” wrote Boon on Twitter today. “But I WASN’T prepared for the response to the news by gamers and my colleagues in the biz. A big THANK YOU to the AIAS and all the kind words of support that followed. They did not go unnoticed.”
Long before NetherRealm Studios ever came into existence, Boon began his career at Williams Electronics working on pinball machines in the late ’80s before changing lanes to video games with the first title he worked on releasing in 1990 with High Impact Football.
Just a few short years later he’d become something like a rock star in the industry with Mortal Kombat exploding across the arcade scene, which would inform his trajectory moving forward to where he sits today.
I’d been given a heads up before & had time to process & appreciate this announcement.
But I WASN’T prepared for the response to the news by gamers & my colleagues in the biz. A big THANK YOU to the AIAS and all the kind words of support that followed. They did not go unnoticed. https://t.co/tCW4T0sytN
— Ed Boon (@noobde) January 31, 2022
He not only served as a designer and programmer on the first MK, but Boon also provided the original voice for Scorpion, Reptile, Shang Tsung and other characters throughout the series — that of course gave us all the iconic “Get over here” line.
After 20 years with Midway Games, the company collapsed in 2010 and gave rise to NetherRealm Studios to continue Mortal Kombat under Warner Bros.’ umbrella with Boon serving as the developer’s creative director.
He’s stayed active in his roles leading the NRS teams for 3 more Mortal Kombat entries as well as the first 2 Injustice fighting games, which helped push story modes within the genre to new heights.
Ed Boons joins the Hall of Fame alongside some of the biggest and most influential creators across the history of video games with previous inductees including Hideo Kojima, Tim Sweeney, Todd Howard, Dan Houser and Sam Houser.
He is set to officially receive the HoF induction during the 25th annual D.I.C.E. Awards ceremony taking place February 22–24.
Everyone at EventHubs extends their congratulations to Ed Boon for being a consistent driving force behind fighting games as they’ve continued to evolve for the past three decades.
Image via Wired.