# The Mortal Kombat Pinball Machine That Almost Was **Source:** Knapp Arcade **Type:** article **Published:** 2022-02-25 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/the-mortal-kombat-pinball-machine-that-almost-was --- ## Analysis Ed Boon, legendary arcade/pinball designer and co-creator of Mortal Kombat, reveals in a Game Informer interview that a Mortal Kombat pinball machine has come close to production multiple times but never materialized. Boon expresses continued interest in seeing one built and reflects on his pioneering work on Williams FunHouse and the evolution of game development from small teams to modern production scales. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Ed Boon programmed pinball machines in Assembly language 15-20 years ago and stopped programming around that time — _Direct quote from Ed Boon in Game Informer interview_ - [HIGH] A Mortal Kombat pinball machine has come close to production multiple times but has not been made — _Ed Boon: 'The one I'm hoping will happen someday – and it's come close a few times – is a Mortal Kombat pinball machine.'_ - [HIGH] Williams FunHouse was loosely based on the movie Magic, which featured an evil puppet — _Direct quote from Ed Boon describing FunHouse's inspiration_ - [HIGH] Ed Boon provided the voice for Rudy, the talking puppet in Williams FunHouse — _Stated in article introduction and confirmed by Boon quote_ - [MEDIUM] A Street Fighter pinball machine was previously produced — _Article author reference: 'There was a Street Fighter pinball machine, so why not MK?' (factual observation by Knapp Arcade author)_ ### Notable Quotes > "The one I'm hoping will happen someday – and it's come close a few times – is a Mortal Kombat pinball machine. I think that would be really cool. I would love to have one of those in my basement." > — **Ed Boon**, Game Informer interview (Feb 2022) > _Reveals MK pinball as a long-desired project that nearly happened, establishing industry interest in the IP for pinball_ > "I have friends who are still programming pinball machines. I stopped programming at least 15 to 20 years ago. There's no way I would be able to keep up with them." > — **Ed Boon**, Game Informer interview > _Indicates Boon's departure from active pinball development and acknowledges evolution of the medium's complexity_ > "FunHouse is kind of loosely based on that. There's this puppet who is taunting the player. I'm the voice of that puppet." > — **Ed Boon**, Game Informer interview > _Confirms FunHouse design inspiration and Boon's creative role in iconic Williams pinball machine_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Ed Boon | person | Legendary arcade/pinball designer, co-creator of Mortal Kombat, voice of Rudy puppet in Williams FunHouse, co-founder of NetherRealm Studios | | Williams | company | Historic pinball and arcade game manufacturer; produced FunHouse and other classic machines | | Mortal Kombat | game | Iconic fighting game franchise created by Ed Boon; pinball adaptation has been proposed multiple times but never produced | | FunHouse | game | Classic Williams pinball machine from 1990 with talking puppet (voiced by Ed Boon); recently received 2.0 kit upgrade | | Street Fighter | game | Fighting game IP that received a pinball adaptation; referenced as precedent for MK pinball possibility | | Game Informer | organization | Video game media publication that conducted interview with Ed Boon | | FunHouse 2.0 Kit | product | Recent upgrade kit for classic Williams FunHouse pinball machine | | Ed Fries | person | Former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft; made Halo game on Atari 2600 | | Matt Booty | person | Head of Microsoft Studios; discussed retro game development community with Ed Boon | ### Topics - **Primary:** Unrealized Mortal Kombat pinball machine, Ed Boon's pinball design legacy, Williams FunHouse design history and 2.0 upgrade - **Secondary:** Evolution of game development from small teams to modern production, Fighting game IP in pinball (Street Fighter precedent) - **Mentioned:** Virtual pinball community adaptations (VPX table) ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Nostalgic and appreciative tone. Boon expresses genuine interest in seeing MK pinball realized. Author celebrates pinball history and legacy. No criticism or negative sentiment present. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Virtual pinball community has created fan-made Mortal Kombat table in VPX, indicating grassroots demand for the IP in pinball (confidence: high) — Article notes: 'Someone did produce a virtual Mortal Kombat table in VPX' - **[design_philosophy]** Classic era pinball (FunHouse, 1990) drew creative inspiration from contemporary film and pop culture (Magic movie) (confidence: high) — Ed Boon explanation of FunHouse design genesis based on Magic movie's evil puppet concept - **[licensing_signal]** Mortal Kombat pinball licensing has come close to fruition multiple times but has not closed, suggesting IP licensing or business negotiations as the bottleneck (confidence: medium) — Ed Boon: 'The one I'm hoping will happen someday – and it's come close a few times – is a Mortal Kombat pinball machine' - **[rumor_hype]** Fighting game IP (Mortal Kombat) as recurring pinball development prospect within industry, with historical Street Fighter precedent (confidence: medium) — Author notes Street Fighter pinball existed and questions why MK hasn't been produced despite clear interest from game creator --- ## Transcript This evening I came across a great Game Informer interview with the voice of Rudy from Williams FunHouse…gaming industry legend Ed Boon. The article provided a fantastic look at arcade and pinball history, but one particular passage really stood out to me: ”You said you are feeling nostalgic. Any thoughts of making a new pinball game? I have friends who are still programming pinball machines. I stopped programming at least 15 to 20 years ago. There’s no way I would be able to keep up with them. To give you an idea of the timing, I did all my games in Assembly. The one I’m hoping will happen someday – and it’s come close a few times – is a Mortal Kombat pinball machine. I think that would be really cool. I would love to have one of those in my basement. You know, Ed Fries [former vice president of game publishing at Microsoft] went and made a Halo game on Atari 2600. He did it the old-school way. You could do the same thing for a Mortal Kombat pinball machine! I was talking to Matt Booty [head of Microsoft Studios] the other day and he was telling me about this group that is still making Atari 2600 games. He was telling me all about them and sent me links and everything. As great as it is to make video games now, when it was a two- to three-person team, the turnaround of idea to on-screen could be as short as two hours. Now it’s months. The hands-on experience and working with a close, small team, there was nothing like those really special days.” A Mortal Kombat pinball machine was almost produced and one of the creators of the game would still like to see one happen? Cool! There was a Street Fighter pinball machine, so why not MK? Another story that I found interesting was the origin story of Williams FunHouse, which is particularly timely given the 2.0 Kit that just released for the pinball machine: ”Give me the big one that people would recognize. That was probably FunHouse. It had a talking puppet. There was a movie called Magic that had an evil puppet in it. That puppet made its owner do bad things. FunHouse is kind of loosely based on that. There’s this puppet who is taunting the player. I’m the voice of that puppet.” Ed Boon On His AIAS Hall Of Fame Induction And Career In Video Games And Pinball https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/02/24/ed-boon-on-his-aias-hall-of-fame-induction-and-career-in-vid The only physical Mortal Kombat pinball machine that has ever been made lol Someone did produce a virtual Mortal Kombat table in VPX _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: b56cbd42-ce16-4c94-8e35-b43222eae3e1*