Welcome to the Season Two finale episode! And it's a Monster!!!! (Never fear, we will be back in a couple of weeks with some special episodes to bridge the gap to Season Three!)

This week's guest is Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Injustice and Chief Creative Officer of Mortal Kombat and NetherRealm Studios! Starting in the world of pinball, he moved onto arcade games at the legendary Midway Games and is still making blockbusters. We discuss his World Record entry in the book of Guinness, the cultural impact of MK and the key question he asks at the start of every project, this week!

Highlights!

1. 06:15 – 06:53
   Alex introduces Ed Boon as the longest-serving video game voice actor and co-creator of Mortal Kombat, discussing his legacy in the gaming world.
2. 08:55 – 10:01
   Aaron shares a story about a rumor regarding Mortal Kombat being chosen over Judge Dredd for arcade cabinet production. Ed clarifies the details and dispels the myth.
3. 11:00 – 11:41
   Ed Boon reflects on the early days of making games, the small team behind Mortal Kombat, and the excitement of seeing it come together.
4. 14:41 – 15:29
   Ed discusses Mortal Kombat's early impact on the gaming industry and the role of digitized characters, mentioning how it was one of the first games to popularize the technology in arcades.
5. 25:31 – 26:39
   Ed describes the transition from Williams Electronics to Midway and later NetherRealm Studios, reflecting on the various "chapters" of his career in video game development.
6. 28:33 – 29:42
   Ed talks about the support Warner Brothers gave to Mortal Kombat 9, including extending the development timeline, which allowed it to become one of the biggest-selling games in the franchise.
7. 39:34 – 41:40
   Ed explains how the home version of Mortal Kombat and other controversial games like Doom and Night Trap drew attention, eventually leading to the creation of the ESRB ratings system.
8. 45:05 – 46:00
   Ed shares a memorable moment seeing 17 Mortal Kombat 2 arcade machines lined up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which made him realize the game's massive popularity.
9. 47:39 – 47:54
   Ed recounts how he became a member of the Screen Actors Guild to voice Scorpion’s famous line, "Get over here!" for the Mortal Kombat movie, still receiving royalty checks to this day.
10. 48:18 – 49:33
    Ed describes the approach to developing new Mortal Kombat games, focusing on how to add new features and experiences to keep each version fresh for players.
11. 01:01:32 – 01:03:37
    Ed praises the successes of other Warner Bros. studios like Rocksteady with Arkham and Avalanche with Hogwarts Legacy, reflecting on the camaraderie and collaboration within the Warner gaming family.
12. 01:05:46 – 01:06:56
    Ed describes his visit to the set of the Mortal Kombat movie, sharing the surreal experience of seeing characters like Goro come to life in live action.

Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!
Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin
Find us at www.thefourthcurtain.com
Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfe
Videos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtain
Follow us on twitter: @fourthcurtain
Edited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com
Featuring the music track Liberation by 505

Ok, we know this episode should be called Something Fun on the Toilet with MK, but we're chose to keep it classy. Our guest this week is Michail Katkoff, a veteran of Zynga, Supercell, and Rovio, partner in Play Ventures, and founder of Deconstructor of Fun. In all of these different roles he's developed a unique understanding of our industry from different perspectives. We discuss product management, insane mobile profits and the ecosystem necessary to support game studios.

00:00 – Introduction: Alex and Aaron introduce Mishka, highlighting his diverse roles in the gaming industry.
02:00 – First Steps: Mishka talks about his first role in the industry at Digital Chocolate and his encounters with Trip Hawkins.
05:45 – Cultural Differences in Gaming: Mishka reflects on the differences between the Finnish and Californian working cultures.
08:30 – Early Influences: Growing up in the Soviet Union, Mishka shares how Pong and Sega sparked his passion for gaming.
10:50 – From Business to Games: Mishka recounts how he left the corporate world to pursue his dream in the gaming industry.
14:00 – Product Management Explained: Mishka breaks down the role of a Product Manager in gaming and how he helped shape game monetization.
16:30 – Crazy Discoveries in Player Data: Mishka reveals insights from analyzing player behavior and the surprising findings about in-game sales.
22:00 – Ethics in Monetization: A candid conversation about the moral questions surrounding microtransactions and the 'whale' phenomenon.
29:00 – Building the Finnish Gaming Scene: Mishka explains how Nokia and the Finnish education system helped create a gaming ecosystem.
36:00 – Challenges for Indie Developers: Discussion on the current challenges small studios face in breaking into the mobile gaming market.
40:30 – Favorite Games: Mishka shares his love for grand strategy and historical games, and his mobile game preferences.
45:00 – Deconstructor of Fun: How Mishka started Deconstructor of Fun and grew it into a leading platform for industry insights.
50:00 – Launching a Studio: Mishka talks about starting a game studio and its eventual acquisition by Sony.

This episode is perfect for anyone interested in the gaming industry, product management, or how mobile gaming has evolved over the years!

Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!
Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin
Find us at www.thefourthcurtain.com
Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfe
Videos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtain
Follow us on twitter: @fourthcurtain
Edited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com
Featuring the music track Liberation by 505

In this episode of The Fourth Curtain, legendary game designer Mike Pondsmith joins hosts Alex and Aaron for an in-depth conversation about his expansive career, from creating the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk to collaborating with CD Projekt Red on Cyberpunk 2077. Mike discusses his early days in game development, the creation of Night City, and the challenges of translating tabletop concepts into video games. The episode is full of humor, industry insights, and engaging anecdotes, offering listeners a rare look into the mind of a creator who has shaped both pen-and-paper and digital gaming worlds.

Time-Stamped Highlights

• [05:00:23] – Introduction of Mike Pondsmith, founder of R. Talsorian Games and creator of Cyberpunk.
• [05:01:15] – Mike talks about his early work on Crimson Skies, MechCommander, and Blood Wake.
• [00:02:19] – Discussion on the challenges of developing Crimson Skies and insights into game development at the time.
• [05:03:57] – Mike shares his surprise at how organized CD Projekt Red was during the development of Witcher 3and Cyberpunk 2077.
• [09:17:98] – Mike Pondsmith talks about inventing Cyberpunk and how it grew into a genre-defining game.
• [10:04:69] – The origins of CD Projekt Red’s relationship with Cyberpunk, including a fun anecdote about selling the first copies of Cyberpunk in Poland.
• [11:49:84] – Mike’s involvement in helping the CD Projekt team stay true to the Cyberpunk universe and why flying cars were initially excluded from Cyberpunk 2077.
• [12:52:40] – Discussion on the differences between Cyberpunk and Blade Runner and how Night City was built with a unique vision.
• [14:53:02] – Mike recalls his son’s involvement in game design and how the family has collaborated on creative projects like Shadow Scar.
• [16:42:91] – The renaissance of tabletop games and the challenges with distribution in the modern market.
• [22:35:15] – Mike shares a humorous story about playing D&D with a “lady of the night” as a cleric in one of his first tabletop games.
• [28:50:00] – Mike explains his philosophy on world-building and how Cyberpunk was designed to allow players to fully engage with a violent, dystopian world.
• [37:05:86] – Mike describes how tabletop game design provides a skeleton framework that translates well into video game development.
• [49:51:27] – Mike reveals that Night City was inspired by Disneyland, with different areas modeled after distinct thematic zones.
• [54:49:35] – The story behind designing the corporate logos in Cyberpunk and the longevity of some of his designs, including Arasaka.
• [62:09:65] – The unexpected naming of R. Talsorian Games and the humorous origin behind the company name.

This episode provides a fascinating journey through the mind of one of the most influential figures in both tabletop and video games, pa

Thank you for listening to our podcast all about videogames and the amazing people who bring them to life!
Hosted by Alexander Seropian and Aaron Marroquin
Find us at www.thefourthcurtain.com
Come join the conversation at https://discord.gg/KWeGE4xHfe
Videos available at https://www.youtube.com/@thefourthcurtain
Follow us on twitter: @fourthcurtain
Edited and mastered at https://noise-floor.com
Featuring the music track Liberation by 505