Mortal Kombat Co-Creator Discusses the Box Office Battle with Street Fighter

Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were the ultimate rivals in the fighting game scene during the ’90s, much like Coke and Pepsi. It’s unclear why we pitted them against each other, but perhaps it was an easy way for gamers to compare Capcom’s classic fighter with its American counterpart, especially in the context of the console wars between Nintendo and Sega. With the recent release of new live-action films for both franchises, the rivalry has been reignited, and the co-creator of Mortal Kombat seems to be enjoying the renewed competition.

At the 2026 Game Awards, a cast member from the Street Fighter movie took a playful jab at Mortal Kombat, prompting NetherRealm’s Ed Boon to share his thoughts in a recent interview. He remarked, “Those things are just part of the three-decade-long rivalry between Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. To me, it’s just fun. It’s a fun thing to kind of rile everybody up on. There’s certainly no hard feelings and whatnot. So, at the end of the day, I think we’ll see, when both films have been released, how they both did and stuff. But honestly, I’d love to see them both do well, just because there’s an audience for more, which would be great.”

Boon’s laid-back perspective likely reflects the sentiments of many fans today. Fighting games are far from fading away—just look at the recent release of Invincible Vs. last month—but the mainstream interest in the genre isn’t what it used to be. Fans are uniting to keep the community vibrant, as seen at Evo, which recently took place in Japan, showcasing competitors from various fighting game franchises coming together as respected peers and champions of the genre.

The trend of crossover characters is also on the rise. Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui from SNK’s Fatal Fury/King of Fighters series have made their debut as guest fighters in Street Fighter 6, with more iconic characters expected in future DLC. Could we ever witness a showdown between Ryu and Scorpion? Boon expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I would love to see a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat. I think that would be cool. I’m a huge fan of Street Fighter as well. We’ve had Joker, who was a really dark character, but DC and Marvel would be a lot of fun to see those characters as well.”

Perhaps it’s time to move on from Marvel vs. Capcom and look forward to a potential Warner Bros. vs. Capcom showdown? Boon revealed that the studio is working on another Mortal Kombat sequel following the 2023 release, along with other projects. Fans are certainly hoping that one of those projects will be Injustice 3.