Mortal Kombat’s Ed Boon to Be Inducted Into the AIAS Hall Of Fame

Ed Boon, the co-creator of Mortal Kombat and Injustice, will be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame this year.

As part of the 25th annual D.I.C.E. awards, Boon will join Bethesda’s Todd Howard, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, Valve’s Gabe Newell, Xbox’s Bonnie Ross and other industry legends in the Hall of Fame. The award is given to “game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward.”

Ed Boon began his career programming pinball machines, before moving into video game development and co-creating Mortal Kombat with John Tobias. The game stirred up controversy for its depiction of ludicrous ultraviolence, but has become part of the fighting game firmament over eleven mainline installments. Boon went onto create Netherrealm Studios, which added much-loved DC superhero series Injustice to its fighting game line-up.

“We are thrilled to have Ed be inducted into our Hall of Fame,” says Meggan Scavio, AIAS president. “From his early work on pinball machines to his monumental achievements co-creating the Mortal Kombat franchise, Ed’s dedication and perseverance to the craft and art of games has left an incredible legacy for fans and game developers alike.”

The 2022 D.I.C.E. awards take place on February 24, and IGN will be the official media partner, meaning you’ll be able to stream the entire event live right here with us.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is leading the pack with 9 nominations, with Deathloop, Inscryption, and It Takes Two following closely behind.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.