Insert Coin is a documentary film directed by Joshua Y. Tsui. It was released on November 25, 2020. The film tells the story of the Midway Games team and the development of their big 90s hits. Particular focus is given to the creation of the Mortal Kombat franchise, the creation of iconic characters like Johnny Cage, Scorpion and Kitana, and the story of Ed Boon and John Tobias.
Plot Summary[]
In the early 90s, two Midway Games employees, Ed Boon and John Tobias, pitched a fighting game to act as a filler game between the release of two other titles. After attempts to license different franchises for the fighting game failed, the two of them received the greenlight to simply create their own game with its own characters. The resulting game was Mortal Kombat, released in 1992, and the sequel game, Mortal Kombat 2.
The film goes over the history and decision making of the game, such as the creation of characters like Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero and Kitana. It also goes in depth on the addition of easter eggs like fatalities and other finishers (shows Kitana's babality), that added sparks to the game.
In addition to the creation of the initial video games, the film goes in depth about the expansion of the franchise into movies and TV shows, and the battles with the government over the violence in the game.
Starring Cast[]
-Ed Boon
-John Tobias
-Eugene Jarvis
-Paul W.S. Anderson
-Tony Hawk
-Robin Shou as Liu Kang (archived footage)
-Christopher Lambert as Raiden (archived footage)
-Linden Ashby as Johnny Cage (archived footage)
- Talisa Soto as Kitana (archived footage)
-Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Shang Tsung (archived footage)
Notable Characters[]
-Scorpion
-Sub-Zero
-Liu Kang
-Sonya Blade