They're the creators. So to be honest without them the franchise wouldn't be here to begin with.

Tobias has been gone for over a decade now. But the game can't live on without Ed Boon. Even though he can be a total troll sometimes lol.

It can live in without both of them (Tobias has been done for a while) but I do think if Boon left for some reason, there might be a noticeable difference in the game, idk what it would be but I think we could tell.

If Ed were to leave, I think Shawn Himmerick would take over.

There has been guys working on the franchise for so long that it wouldn't matter. Vogel has also been there since the beginning. Most of the guys one the Kast said they came around MK4.

There would probably be a small shift in the overall tone since Boon is still the main decision maker, but the franchise wouldn't die. Far from it.

Take by example God of War. There has been 6 God of War games, all with a different director bringing their own ideas to the table, and the 6 games were great.

Boon and Tobias created the franchise but it doesn't exist because of them alone.

Obviously without those two MK wouldn't be where it is today. But honestly, I wouldn't mind Boon and Vogel or whomever else from the Trilogy era leaving or working on other projects.

I seriously doubt Boon is especially involved in the day-to-day at this point.

I think its Vogel and the design team that made the past few MK games what they were. I figure when Vogel writes a script for story or something Ed Boon either accepts, tweaks, or declines it. I bet he does that to about anything that is brought to him in any department of his studio. I figure things will only be different if John Vogel leaves and they replace him with a new writer who has way different directions that they want the characters to follow.

Mortal Kombat isn't just Ed Boon and John Tobias's baby anymore. They've got a whole group of talented people working torwards the series now. In today's age I'd say Ed Boon is nothing without his studio.

Ed Boon is the director of Netherrealm Studios. A director's job is to make sure their employees are doing everything they're supposed to do on the job. They also can do work of their own if they feel the need to do it themselves.

Plus, Ed does Scorpion's voice. Mainly the longest reigning voice actor in video game history.


I'm pretty sure Boon would have a plan if he chooses to retire. I mean, a guy that's the head of a company would obviously have some sort of plan to create before taking off. That would be kind of stupid if he didn't.

Ummm...well, for starters, Tobias hasn't been part of the MK team since Mortal Kombat 4, so he has about as much to do with NRS as Nikki Minaj.

As for Ed, he is the creative director. While he may not directly write the story, he determines where the story should go. He sets the idea and tone for the game. He has a vision, and the team acts on that vision. No, NRS would not fall apart without him, but we would likely see a vastly different direction taken with Mortal Kombat, unless Himmerick or Vogel decide to follow Ed's vision. More than likely we would have a considerable departure from the established storyline. That's partly what they did with this reboot...Ed wasn't happy where MK was going (I don't think ANYONE was), so they rebooted the entire franchise.

It also has a lot to do with their support. NRS is a division of WB Games. WB gives them a phenomenal budget, and MKX was one of the biggest moneymakers in WB's history. They will continue to have a big budget (likely even bigger moving forward thanks to the success of MKX), Ed will probably get a huge pay increase, as will most of the main designers at NRS. He'll be there for a while, but ultimately no, NRS would not fall apart without Ed. I would be more concerned if Ed, Vogel and Himmerick ALL left...at that point it the "fathers of MK" will all be gone. As long as Vogel or Himmerick were to remain in the event that Ed were to retire, it would be fine. Ed's only 50(ish?), and Mortal Kombat is his baby. After this tremendous success with MKX, he's not going anywhere any time soon.

This post shows a strong lack of understanding, respect, and appreciation for what a creative director does. The guy isn't sitting with his feet on his desk all day laughing about Hsu Hao. He's literally making the rounds all day everyday signing off on what he feels works and what doesn't and his name is largely synonymous with the franchise. Come on man. if the series goes on without him, right on, every chapter ends, just like Tobias' did, but he's an important part of the legacy and creative decisions for the franchise, even today.

To be honest Ed is already less without Tobias. Look at the games now. Fans hate the direction of the story and new characters, stages etc.

And if Ed's gone, im sure NRS wont do any better. Infact i think they will do worse.

But than again, i already think that Ed is gone in some way.

Tobias left like 18 years ago and the series survived. There's less and less people who can't get over the first trilogy every year.

When some of the MK staff split, John Tobias became a standard-bearer in his own small firm, followed by Josh Tsui and David Michichic, just for one project. Later this collective made Tao Feng: Fist of the Lotus. So that specific creation to me is a rough reference of how MK may be, with John's participation present-day, even though that game is fairly old.

I like the first 3 games, true. But i like the 3D era games alot, if not more than the Trilogy. Also is MK9 one of my favorites in the series.

In terms of Caracters, designs and story decisions, thing did go backwards imo. Mkx has not convinced me at all, it actually dissapointed me alot.

That's a weird comparisson. And not even fare tbh. Tao Feng was not a bad game, it was just horrible in the gameplay department. That's exactley what Ed's job is, programming a game, to make it playable. And Ed is very good at it. It was clearly not Tobias's talent or who ever programmed Tao Feng.

Tobias's talent is creating story, characters and designing them. If you liked Tao Feng or not. He did a great job with MK. You can't ignore what he built for MK. He basically created the lore and most iconic characters for Mortal Kombat. With that in mind Mk would only benefit with Tobias's inclusion.

"NRS would be nothing without Ed [Boon] or [John] Tobias" - true and false. True in the sense that, had Boon and Tobias never been born, there would be no NRS. False if you're implying that once they're gone, that MK will cease to be a viable franchise.

The goal in life for many people is to build something that will outlive them. And I would say to that end, they've succeeded - Mortal Kombat will absolutely have a life beyond its creators. That is not an insult to the creators, that is a complement because it means they invented something timeless.

Its as close as one can get to achieving immortality in the real world.

Personally, at this point I think the MK series would benefit from Boon's departure. A new creative director could in fact help the series grow from within, rather than from the perpetuation of fan servicing and DLC.

However, you are correct, eventually the series will have to survive without them regardless, because they won't live forever, and I think we can all say Mortal Kombat will manage to stand the test of time to that day.

I must completely agree. Mortal Kombat is entrenched in American pop culture. So much so, in fact, that references to the franchise occur everywhere, and it's so generally part of American culture that such things find their way into people's daily lives, even those who have not and maybe never will play the games.

Look at the whole "Finish Him" and "Fatality!" catchphrases...people say these things, jokingly or otherwise, pretty much everywhere. Sure, "Finish Him" has been a martial arts trope for decades, but it was truly popularized with MK. And "Fatality"...come on...even people I know who are only vaguely aware of Mortal Kombat's existence have used it to comedic effect.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Mortal Kombat is a pop culture phenomenon that continues to find and grow an audience with each passing year. Look at how successful Kombat Kon has been since it started in 2016. Look at the thousands of people in Brazil and Argentina that turn out to see the original Mortal Kombat actors speak and put on a show for fans.

I'm pretty sure that unless someone one day just decides to completely pull the plug on the MK franchise (which is entirely possible), it will remain a part of pop culture. Even then, aspects of it will continue on well after.