The Voice Behind Mortal Kombat's 'Toasty!' Is Leaving NetherRealm

Few games person fixed america arsenic galore iconic one-liners arsenic NetherRealm's warring franchise, Mortal Kombat, but this week we've learned that the dependable down 1 of the astir celebrated — "Toasty!" — is leaving the studio.

Audio manager Dan Forden worked astatine Midway and its successor NetherRealm Studios since 1989, astir famously connected the Mortal Kombat franchise. It's his dependable we perceive outcry "Toasty!" successful falsetto erstwhile we propulsion disconnected an awesome uppercut. First appearing successful 1993's Mortal Kombat II, Toasty went connected to go 1 of the astir recognizable lines of dialog successful each video games.

Now, however, Forden is leaving NetherRealm, penning successful a heartfelt connection connected societal media that helium was "really arrogant of what [the studio] accomplished."

"Wednesday was my past time astatine NetherRealm. We made a batch of amusive worldly implicit the years. I’m truly arrogant of what we accomplished arsenic good arsenic however overmuch amusive we had making that stuff," Forden wrote connected Instagram. "There are truthful galore smart, talented radical determination — look for much large things to look implicit the adjacent respective years. I emotion the small touches that radical near astir the workplace similar this small Toasty homage connected the bath mirror.

"I wouldn’t person lasted 37 years successful the manufacture if fans weren’t retired determination playing the games we made. Thanks to each of you for supporting what we’ve done. Live agelong and… Toasty!"

Asked successful the comments wherefore helium was leaving now, Forden explained: "I figured I’d been astir agelong enough. Want to reclaim that clip for my ain interests."

Forden's exit comes astatine an uncertain clip for NetherRealm, which is owned by Warner Bros. In May, the workplace confirmed what Mortal Kombat 1 fans feared aft the motorboat of the Definitive Edition: nary caller DLC characters oregon communicative chapters would beryllium released for the game.

In August, improvement main Ed Boon said Mortal Kombat 1 had sold implicit 6.2 cardinal copies. Its predecessor, Mortal Kombat 11, became the best-selling crippled successful the franchise by passing Mortal Kombat X's astir 11 cardinal units sold worldwide soon aft launch. By 2022, Mortal Kombat 11 had sold much than 15 cardinal copies worldwide. Clearly, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed compared to erstwhile games successful the series.

NetherRealm has said it shifted to "focus to the adjacent task successful bid to marque it arsenic large arsenic we perchance can," but it has yet to accidental what it is. Current speculation points to Injustice 3, a continuation of NetherRealm’s DC warring crippled series.

As for what other is happening successful the Mortal Kombat world? Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari, launches astatine the extremity of October. Movie sequel Mortal Kombat II has been delayed from October 24, 2025, to May 15, 2026. It's thought Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema judge the movie — which stars Karl Urban alongside Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Ludi Lin, Mehcad Brooks, Tati Gabrielle, Lewis Tan, and much — volition execute amended astatine the summertime container bureau fixed the chaotic instrumentality effect to the trailer.

Image credit: Atari / YouTube.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.