The Making of Mortal Kombat | Digitized graphics in video games

An undeniable trend in gaming graphics during the early 90s was the usage of digitized graphics, made possible thanks to various advancements in hardware and software. Although a lot of game developers used it for bits and pieces like title screens, Williams and Atari Games in particular embraced this new tech early on. Resulting in hits like T2, Mortal Kombat, Pit Fighter and Primal Rage.
PART 1 Cel animation: • The Making of Aladdin ...
PART 2 Pre-rendered graphics: • The Making of Donkey K...
///Support the channel:
All your views, likes comments and shares are really appreciated! My making of videos are part of bigger project. I set up a patreon for those who would like to financially support it: / strafefox
Narration by Steven Kelly
/ stevenmkelly
//Music and Sources
For the complete track-listing with time-codes skip to the end of the video
Sources used for this video are also listed there.
//Chapters
00:00 Digital imaging
02:27 NARC
03:11 Terminator 2
5:02 Mortal Kombat
14:03 Mortal Kombat II
19:09 Atari Games (Pit Fighter and Primal Rage)
22:58 Mortal Kombat 3
26:01 Ending

[@GameSack]

"For the sake of the actors, most of [the fatalities] were created digitally". A few weren't? LOL. Great video as always.

[@rockdesu]

Imagine getting hired just so they burn you alive for real. May that actor rest in peace and crispy lol.

[@ogjk]

Gamesack & Splashwave colab please please please please please please.

[@NicodemusT]

You’ve been sacccccckkkkkkkked.

[@piratesephiroth]

@@ogjk with the obligatory cameo of Dave stealing Joe's Snatcher

[@f.k.b.16]

Well it was the end of most of their acting careers so... Yep!

[@DavosSeaworth]

*~Fun Facts~* Ed Boon named the characters *Sonya* Blade and *Tonya* after his two sisters *Noob Saibot* got his name from creator John *Tobias* and Ed *Boon* 's reversed surnames

[@heyitsmorgannerdz]

"Midway had a free-spirited atmosphere. Once management believed in a project, they rarely stepped in." YOU HEAR THAT WARNER?!

[@GawainSSB]

Its crazy how ambitious these guys were when given such a short amount of time. The rarity of dedication like that is why there are so many flops compared to successes imo

[@FirstnameLastname-my7bz]

Ofc not

[@davidcallaghan1693]

ET guy was ambitious too but was stuck on Atari

[@GeilerDaddy]

😆@@davidcallaghan1693

[@Ottophil]

Cocaine

[@roland-d5050]

KZbin doesn't deserve this level of production quality. Amazing work.

[@f.k.b.16]

That is the truth! This should be on the History Channel or some other major outlet!

[@TheLegendofRenegade]

So true, the effort these guys put in is incredible

[@thealchemist851]

Well-Said!

[@P4boot]

KZbin actually deserves it. Lol But I get what you mean…

[@bradfab_fx]

Honestly felt like watching a documentary on tv at night

[@doctorwolfman5221]

Bret Hart being the lone worker in manufacturing at 6:37 is brilliant.

[@TheRealPaco2049]

Bret "Forklift Operator" Hart. I am glad I was not the only one who saw that!

[@Run187]

Yeah, that was after his cowboy days :) along with his brother the late bronco owen hart..

[@BlackHeartTV33]

RIP Owen Heart . 🖤

[@mattk252]

I did his roof

[@Mafr0]

The pink in black ring gear is actually the perfect choice for hi-vis warehouse workwear!

[@GoldBearanimationsYT]

This video is so well made omg

[@RetroGamesCouple]

Our thoughts exactly, we love the editing too!

[@CoolCoyote]

@@RetroGamesCouple lol well done, us gamers love scanlines don't we ah the good Olé days

[@RetroGamesCouple]

@@CoolCoyote Amen

[@CharleyTurner]

I came to say the exact same thing. Great job.

[@jfitzgerald4887]

there's a typo in the subtitle . It's not well made

[@MattMcMuscles]

As always, amazing work. Really appreciated the mentioning of the earlier games that Midway made that utilized digitized graphics.

[@jamesburchill7522]

I find Joe and Matt here... Men of Culture.

[@venomtang]

yea that was a much appreciated touch

[@alecaquino4306]

Shoo. Shoo! You little rodent. Be gone from this place!

[@karnerblue7658]

This video was fantastic. Love your channel, too, Matt!

[@opo3628]

Shut up, Matt. No one asked you.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

For a while now, I've wanted a new Mortal Kombat done using the same techniques as the original games, just with better technology.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

Mo cap is the successor to this technology.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

@@ricardocantoral7672 Yeah. But it would be cool to film actors again instead of just capturing their moves to add to a 3D character. It could be a low-budget offshoot from their main MK series as a tribute/anniversary type release. I'm sure people would eat it up at $29.99 or less price point.

[@roberto1519]

Kurt, check Mortal Kombat - Defenders of the Earth, if you haven't already, it may be up your alley, a love letter to the series.

@@kurtdewittphoto There actually was going to be a HD version of the arcade games with the similar techniques; digitized actors but now in a HD format. Unfortunately Warner Bros. cancelled the idea as they thought remaking the arcades from scratch through the same techniques in HD capture would be too costly and not enough to warrant a profit.

[@kurtdewittphoto]

@Dairanto DX Bummer 😔

[@MysticMage255]

Your production levels are off the charts insane. Incredible stuff here. Love what you do!!

[@NicodemusT]

Yes. These shows could be easily ported to network TV with very little change.

[@robdealer]

@@NicodemusT Everyone who has ever played video games needs to check out this channel!

[@lilyolk299]

Top Notch… been looking for “this” video for years now!

[@grahamcurran8744]

Amazingly produced 👌

[@piedramultiaristas8573]

@@lilyolk299 Fibally it came in 2022

[@slundal]

How on gods green earth can you maintain producing this level of high quality documentary? There is literally nothing out there about gaming that goes this in-depth and with this production quality.

[@fluffy_tail4365]

The digitized artstyle has never been my favorite but learning about the production pipeline was interesting regardless and made me appreaciate it more!

[@alejandromolinac]

In it’s day….. it was extremely groundbreaking….. most people just knew Atari and Nintendo…..

[@Hamstray]

it has aged terribly, while good pixel art on the other hand is kind of timeless.

[@houstonhelicoptertours1006]

@@Hamstray That's just like, your opinion, man.

[@SRC267]

Nice to see this after just learning about Mortal Kombat Arcade Edition romhack for the Sega Genesis.

[@SauloBenigno]

Nice, never heard of it, thanks for the info

[@LinkueiBR]

Hope you guys like it!

[@hellbillymods45]

@@LinkueiBR It's freaking awesome, well done.

[@TheSektorz]

TIL Linda Hamilton has a twin sister. Epic production quality as always, Strafefox! Edit: Daniel Pesina (the OG Johnny Cage) is a friend on Facebook and the nicest guy ever

[@mojojojo6292]

They actually used her twin in Terminator 2. In the scene (only in the directors cut) where Sarah and John are removing the cpu from Arnies head in front of a mirror, the mirror was actually fake and the "reflection" was Linda's twin sister. Also later in the forge where the T-1000 is imitating Sarah they used her when they are on screen together.

[@TheSektorz]

@@mojojojo6292 Damn, I can't believe I'm learning this 31 years later. Having a twin is awesome for showbusiness!

[@PrimitiveOs]

Please KZbin, give more exposure to this channel. It deserves it

[@zombiecharger65]

I have watched a lot of "Making of" stuff on video games. You went above and beyond with this one! Thanks!

[@creaturesofwar5930]

These are hands down the best videos on KZbin. You need to pitch yourself to HBO, Netflix, Hulu, anyone who will listen to you. Producing more videos like these should replace your day job. Awesome content!

[@johnsmith-ir1ne]

Ew gross, I'd rather not have strafe content be locked behind Wokémon walled garden

[@alejandromolinac]

Oh hell no!….. they would prob “require” him to put a whole bunch of talking points and buzzwords….

[@Linkwii64]

Why would he needs HBO and go mainstream? stay independent lol.. more freedom. You don't wan to be control by some corporate CEO.

[@mrnicktoyou]

I was 12 years old when the original Mortal Kombat came out. I remember coming across a cabinet and just staring at the faces of the characters thinking how real they looked. And the blood splattering everywhere was cool of course.

[@mattm7798]

Right! I still remember seeing MK2 for the first time in a bowling alley(after having played MK in the arcade and at home), clearly months after release, because the adult playing it was really good and knew all the moves and fatalities. 5th grade me thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

[@alejandromolinac]

Hahahah! I was also about 12 when the original MK came out…. I was BLOWN AWAY!!!!!!….. OMG!!!! THEY USE REAL PEOPLE!…

[@piedramultiaristas8573]

@@alejandromolinac I was like 10 years and I was surprised by the trchnology and afraid bcs of goro, the places and of course fatalities and mk2 was SO MUCH BETTER I think mk2 shalibg monks and the mk11 are the best mk games and they oroject so much like a very similar feelings

[@82leegary]

I know right! I was 10 and it's been about 30 years. I am almost 40 now time flies! MK fan since childhood.

[@Elfangel85]

What a fantastic video. Made so professionally, so many tidbits, loved, loved it. Did not want it to end. Cannot even imagine how long it takes to edit a video like this. Bravo!

[@strafefox]

Thanks so much!

[@GhostOdyssey]

Agreed, wholeheartedly! I am NOT a fan of Mortal Kombat at all -- but I can appreciate 'overwhelming amount of dedication and work' what went into the gamer's development, and this documentary kept me glued to the screen. Fantastic viewing!

[@jmnyc212]

One of the most consistent shows out there quality wise. Tremendous episode.

[@negrotaku6299]

New Splash Wave My entire week’s just been made

[@donchimpson4934]

I was literally just thinking “I’d love to watch a new Strafefox video about fighting games” and you deliver in less than 24 hours. Well done on reading my mind. I can’t wait for your video about PC FX games, which I was also thinking about today.

[@E180TEKNO]

the same for the PC FX

[@TheGeckoNinja]

lol you willed it into existence

[@skratchforce9785]

Omg how creepy i was thinking the same shit

[@grahamjhallaudio8198]

Same!

[@Xentzuken]

So thankful that the algorithm recommended me this video because this is easily the BEST documentary style MK video I have ever seen. The production quality is amazing!

[@englishwithphil42]

This video itself is a work of art. Thank you so much for continuing to put all this effort in the videos!

[@E180TEKNO]

you are one of the best retro game channel for me on youtube, that's why there is so much space between the output of your videos, because it takes time to make the quality, but what a treat for each video really

[@pixelsrnautded9286]

Would love to see a new Mortal Kombat in this style with modern technology.

[@StraightOuttaJarhois]

Considering how much software has improved and how easy digital cameras are to work with, it could probably be done on an indie budget today.

[@szczecho]

@@StraightOuttaJarhois I agree

[@knyght27]

For me, it wouldn't even have to be a Mortal Kombat title. It can just be a retro-style indie game that pays homage to the early MK graphics style

[@tanktheta]

Well mates, maybe after my current game's done, I'd love to try and tackle that. Especially since Modern MK has lost the charm and solid gameplay the older games had. So I'd like to make a return to that. Though there's another guy who seems like he wants to do it now, in the comments.

[@Run187]

Hate the new mortal kombats..

[@rul1175]

The highest quality production gaming video in youtube. Keep it up!

[@zerocal76]

I was unsubbing from a bunch of KZbin channels and I didn't remember yours until I saw a screenshot of one of your vids. I'll never unsub. Love your retro style! 😎

[@lindejordan]

THIS is the one for me. Cannot wait to see how well done this is. The absolute king, best quality of ANY videos on youtube, doesn't matter the subject. Thanks for the continually astounding effort.

[@kz1000ps]

Strafefox, and I'd also say Ahoy, are the equally talented kings of quality and originality. Every video is a real treat.

[@microtonalmilio5233]

JCS Criminology Psychology also has a prestige about their production.

[@ProtoSnake]

Alright, you did Mortal Kombat this time! Tweet this to Ed Boon & John Tobias, please! I was surprised Ed Boon tweeted about your Street Fighter II essay video. Hope he does for this video.

[@ShoRyuBarbie]

I love how much behind the scenes footage and concept art you guys are able to find for these videos.

[@popunkid]

Seriously, the production value of these videos is second-to-none. They blow my mind.

[@Steerable6827]

It's been a while man, welcome back!

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

Incredible work as always!

[@johnathanbabino9852]

When Mortal Kombat came out in 92,or 93',I was 12,or 13yrs old...I'm 42 now,and I still love playing it,and have it👌🏾Classic‼️Movie,as well👍🏾👍🏾

[@tommyspadaccini2121]

In the arcade version of MKIII there was a code that gives you unlimited credits, but for cancel it, you had to shut off the cabinet. When the cabinet restarted, the voulume vas at max. Me and my friends had run a lot to escape from the arcades. So sweet memories

[@needleman0824]

You literally make a vid just about the game i get back into! Your content always amazes me strafefox!

[@VashStarwind]

Such good videos! Idk how you get a hold of so much production footage, but its the coolest thing to see. One of my favorite things are learning about the actual software programs, and hardware used to make these classic games. Imagine digitizing a game these days using HD cameras and modern editing software, it could be a super cool idea.

[@theSato]

It doesn't really work in modern gaming / in HD, IMO. Part of the reason it worked back then was the lower resolution and color palettes making it 'not too realistic'.

[@retrorystergaming577]

'For the safety of the actors, most of these effects were created digitally' Thanks for the clarification as I always thought Midway had a Dragon on standby for the fatality lol. Love the channel by the way. Editing style is on point and love watching for editing ideas!!! Thanks for the upload

[@AaronRose2421]

Instant sub. This channel is a true hidden gem and cannot believe the amount of 3d and production work you put into it. Simply amazing.

[@MikeAruba69]

Yeah, they do an amazing job! Heck, it's even educational too! This channel deserves more acknowledgment.

[@TheOldestBoone]

Absolutely amazing work, as always. One of the best shows on KZbin.

[@voodooblowtorch7265]

I'm gonna be honest, some of this stuff goes over my head when talking about the more technical aspects of creating the games, but it's so well researched and presented that I can't help but be enthralled through through the entire thing. Stellar work as always!

[@dbako]

My mind cannot grasp the PERFECTION AND QUALITY you input in your videos, you could easily go viral and sponsored and jump to Hollywood, i am MIND BLOWN, thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nvrndingsmmr]

Absolutely brilliant. I was always put off a bit by the violence in this series, but the processes used to create the artwork are fascinating. Must've been such an exciting time to work on video games with so much new technology floating around and everything still sort of up in the air. Thanks for another amazing educational video!

[@jasonblalock4429]

Excellent video, as always! And yeah, the video-captured graphics fad was such a weird era in gaming. It sounded like a good idea on paper, but the end result was typically pretty messy and looked strange because of lighting and perspective issues.

[@brazilmugenteam]

Another master piece. Full of infos, nice 3d graphics and animations. It's just amazing.

[@lifewater989]

What a fantastic video. I always wondered how the digitized graphics worked. The people at Williams/Midway were absolutely brilliant. You just don’t see anything like that anymore.

[@666neloangelo666]

There's so much great stuff on YT, just discovered this channel. Incredible production! Why would someone still watch TV when you can enjoy quality content like this! Great job strafefox!

[@davidspyro]

This was very fascinating to watch & learning about the dev history of MK 1 to 3 & I love the little bonus of Primal Rage as well. :) Keep up the great work with these vids! 👍

[@n0isyturtle]

Beautifully composed doc once again. This is a good one because of how well Williams documented and held onto their production footage, in many ways reminding me of the production of Neverhood. Western devs were much better about recording and keeping their development footage around that time making the process look so fun, one of the main reasons I wanted to go into game development as a kid was seeing background development footage on VHS promo tapes and stuff.

[@BingBangPoe]

The level of quality and polish of your videos always blows my mind. We have the quality of Discovery / National Geographic on KZbin. It's outstanding.

[@nathancrossen2224]

Enter the Dragon + Bloodsport + Big Trouble in Little China = Mortal Kombat. Combining these was absolute genius and this franchise will live forever.

[@damn5987]

This was highly enjoyable, appreciate it.

[@mattm7798]

One thing to note, the reason the OG MK was successful was a combination of a relatively novel concept(bloody realistic graphics) and street fighter 2 laying the blueprint on how to do a fighting game well. Remember after MK there were tons of clones that mostly were bad, so even tho gameplay wise, SF2 is better than MK overall, MK was still a solid, good game, which all the clones missed.

[@user-te1le7ck6b]

So glad i waited for a nice cup of tea and time to give this video the respect it deserves , amazing

[@thepuppetmaster9284]

A new documentary upload from strafefox? 2022 start with a bang! Keep up the amazing works! 👍👍

[@aaragon]

thank you for keeping up the great content

[@GeomancerHT]

It's Pesina, not Pensina.

[@strafefox]

You're absolutely right! Don't know how I mixed that up :o

[@markwuahlbuargg4780]

Its so wild to hear how something that is so trivial today was so complicated at that time.

[@CakedNinja]

Amazing job. I wasn't expecting all of the history behind graphics and software. Im glad this wasnt just a mashup of old recorded scenes from game production.

[@Level1Sword]

Did you mean to start with T2 and end with ClayFighter 2: Judgement Clay? Impressive in either case.

[@strafefox]

Haha yeah all part of the master plan ;)

[@ricardocantoral7672]

MY DAY IS MADE ! 👍👍👍

[@usig00]

I love these videos! It's like a behind the scenes retrospective of my childhood. Please keep them coming.

[@akalyx]

the 3d animations and editing in this have jumped to a new high. just incredible work

[@f.k.b.16]

Wow... AT&T is not a name I associated with computers in my mind... maybe a modem but never a graphics card!

[@strafefox]

Ha! Yeah they had a digital imaging division named EPICenter for a short time which split of to become the company Truevision.

[@solitonmedic]

Watching that artist paint the dinos for Primal Rage was really satisifying to watch. I wish games now had this level of passion back.

[@davistalhone9482]

Whenever I see the latest headline for your vids in my feed, I think "oh I already know all there is to know on this one". Then when it ends, I am amazed at how much I didn't know.

[@tobiasblackmoar]

literally the best produced content on this site. documentary levels above most

[@cleetusvandame]

Incredible how two young minds, a 6 month deadline wrote the face of history as we know it today. Everytime I play my MK cabinet, it takes me back to the early 90s where I played the game at my local high school arcade. Absolutely loved your video. Thank you for sharing. Liked and subscribed.

[@MrUrbanbogan]

this was my saturday nights playing this till morning with me mates Great times

[@gothakane]

One of the few channels where I ping the notification bell. I get excited every time I see a new video, never disappoints. I feel like committing a crime by watching such high quality content for free. The amount of research, editing and production that goes into these videos is next level. You're an absolute legend, Mr Fox.

[@owenfitzgerald3219]

Completing this game now still gives a lot of satisfaction.

[@di4352]

Freaking incredible use of the available tools of the time, and in the end, not only did they pioneer it, they bested it, perfected it, and left no chance for anyone else to keep up before 3D took over. Mortal Kombat will remain a legend.

[@trwijbenga]

I've been watching stuff about retro gaming for years, yet somehow I never stumbled upon your channel before. This is easily among the best stuff available on KZbin in my opinion. Research, pacing, editing, originality, background music, sound mixing, it's all top notch. Looking forward to go through some videos in the back catalogue!

[@poindextertunes]

Man the deep dive into digital imagining to set up the main topic is so good 🔥

[@01sevensix]

“Roms were burnt”….I remember the days before day one updates. Cracking video btw.

[@CHRISPYakaKON]

Always excited to see a new video from this channel 😤😤😤😤

[@rayfran06]

I was kind of eye rolling at wanting to watch this ...like "What is it really going to teach, nothing I didn't already know I'm sure!" Boy was I wrong. I've never seen a doc on the topic that was so technical. This is really cool and I'm glad I watched it.

[@vulpineCaptain]

Every time i see an upload to this channel i rush to the like button, this is television production levels of quality.

[@sergiofranciscomontoyacomp8566]

All of your videos make me feel like I’m watching a full fledged TV program. Makes me remind of the times when I used to watch those kind of programs on Saturday morning when I was a kid and that’s awesome!

[@DragoonEdwin]

It always bring me joy seeing Primal Rage being mentioned or noticed.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

I'm so happy this channel is growing. You guys deserve a million subs

[@Ratigast99]

I am 13 minutes in. Not only is this chock full of valuable and interesting info- but this production value is insane. I just saw a shot of the spikes in the pit and on the spikes was a sega genesis and super nintendo. This is incredible. Subscribed!

[@strafefox]

Awesome! Thanks so much!

[@Tweekend27]

Really enjoyed this video. So well made and narrated perfectly. Great job! I was there in 93 as a 16yr old, playing MK1 in the arcades. What a time to be a kid :)

[@FrazzaJazz]

New strafefox videos are so freaking hype

[@respectfulremastersbymetal8336]

24:34 this little zoom and hold got me.

[@RyuFalchionX]

These are always a joy to watch. I remember all the rumors and secrets in MKII and 3. Man, the pre internet age was a different time.

[@edsonmelendez2445]

The quality of your videos is insane! I didn't know I needed them.

[@GilCloud]

This video is incredibly rich and detailed. Well done, the production level is truly insane.

[@TransCanadaPhil]

I’m amazed at the production quality of your videos compared to most other KZbinrs. These look like the kind of stuff you’d see on Discovery or BBC in terms of quality! It’s amazing to see that raw mortal kombat capture footage especially.

[@malimations]

It was like watching a Netflix documentry, fascinating.

[@felipemaaartins]

I think that I watched this video for about 4 times now. Every time I watch it again, I liked it again. It's a perfect storytelling. I've watched all other videos from the channel and its such a incredible thing the evolution of quality in the videos. I'll be waiting for the next episodes, you are in your best shape. That MK video alongside with the Donkey Kong doc was the channel in its best shape!

[@felipemaaartins]

I've also expand my research after this video and I would recommend the documentary "Insert Coin" (2020) who tells all Willians/Midway history from the perspective of the creators. A lot of that documentary was kind of refferenced in this video and it's a good way to keep learning new things about that videogame world that we love so much. Also this is a piece of modern history, it has a historical value in the evolution of society and technology.

[@Drew791]

Whoa this was an awesome short form documentary. The best I’ve seen on the making of Mortal Kombat.

[@dontletmebrown]

Commenting for the algorithm cuz this channel is CRIMINALLY underrated 😤

[@casedistorted]

This is an insanely detailed and incredible episode I completely missed thanks to that algorithm. Glad I found it, learned so much about a series I grew up with.

[@Phantom_Zer0]

Best videos on KZbin, no hyperbole. I'll watch The rest of the video later. Hahaha outstanding! The 90s and 2000s, the best years, I'm not crying, it's something in my eyes :(

[@UH1k4ru]

Strafefox, I love watching your videos, they’re amazing. The history that you provide, how you educate, and the visuals you give. Your hard work is impeccable. I hope you don’t stop, I know it takes a lot of time to make these videos happen but it’s definitely worth it. 🙌🏽

[@williamwinn948]

great time to be alive when these games first came out.

[@AzureIV]

Thank you strafefox for another video. You are awesome.

[@PhobosDDeimos]

What a wonderful age of gaming this was. These kinds of graphics look so cool.