In 2009, Midway Games filed for bankruptcy. "11" was to be the final chapter for a developer whose reign in the American video games market lasted twenty-one years. Throughout this time, there were many spectacular successes, and that's what former Midway Developer Joshua Tsui hopes to revisit with his film: Insert Coin!
Speaking to Mortal Kombat Online, Tsui explained the origins of the project, "I got to thinking about how game development used to be for arcades and realized that nobody has ever put something together about that era. My hope is that I can weave together all the various stories of the games together and give people an overview of one of the most incredible eras and companies in video games."
The documentary project intends to revisit arcade gaming's wild west of the early nineties: in particular - the revolution sparked by Midway Games and the chain of breakout titles they produced!
Which titles will the documentary feature? Separating one success from another is difficult, as Tsui explained; "NARC influenced Terminator 2, influencing NBA Jam, then [Mortal Kombat], and so on."
The dominant franchises are all there as part of the grand story of Midway! They'll be laid as bare as possible by behind-the-scenes footage, and first-hand accounts from the developers who were there, Joshua Tsui included. Don't expect just the same old stories, though. The film will also dig deeper into titles that were never released, and expose never-before-seen footage. "My goal is to find the stories about production and the little things that the team did to make the games so much better than others of its kind back then."
The working title of Insert Coin is a fitting one for a documentary both about arcade gaming -- and currently seeking crowd sourced funding for completion.
Fans who hope to own this piece of gaming history should be encouraged to contribute to the Insert Coin Kickstarter campaign, with backer rewards beginning at $15. They include: Blu-Ray copies of the finished product signed by Mortal Kombat's John Tobias (Co-Creator) and Kerri Hoskins (MK3 Sonya); Thank You Credits in the film, a t-shirt, and other bonuses.
Update: With the final days of backing creeping, more major rewards await backers! An arcade machine, dinner with Kerri Hoskins-Branson and Daniel Pesina, and original John Tobias art are among the incentives! Get the full story!
The Kickstarter effort has 19 days remaining on a target of $75,000. Funds will cover costs associated with travel, filming and production. At the time of this writing, Insert Coin has reached $40,000.
Mortal Kombat Online will feature a full interview with Joshua Tsui discussing the project, and his past with Midway, soon. You can follow the documentary @insertcoindoc. Show your support by liking and sharing this story via @MK_Online, Facebook and sharing your thoughts on the forums! Find more in the Interview Archive!
