Imagine helping shape one of gaming’s most iconic fighting series—then admitting you stopped playing it decades ago. That’s exactly what longtime Mortal Kombat composer and sound designer Dan Forden recently revealed, and fans can’t stop talking about it.
After more than 30 years with NetherRealm Studios, the beloved “Toasty Guy” officially stepped away from the company earlier this year. Even Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon marked his departure with a heartfelt public tribute, underscoring just how big a role Forden played in shaping the franchise’s identity.
But during a recent appearance on the Realm Kast podcast, Forden made a surprising confession: he hasn’t seriously played Mortal Kombat since the early 1990s. When asked who his favorite character was after decades of involvement, he admitted that he stopped trying to play after Mortal Kombat II.
“I actually don’t really play the game anymore,” he explained with a laugh. “By the time Mortal Kombat 3 came around and combos became a thing, I just thought, ‘Okay, this is beyond me now.’ So I haven’t played it much since then.” He added that he used to play the first two games quite a bit—but that was the extent of his hands-on experience.
Ironically, even the original Mortal Kombat had something resembling combos, though most of them weren’t intentional. They were more like happy accidents—glitches that skilled players discovered and mastered over time. What developers hadn’t planned became part of the game’s evolving charm.
Still, Forden’s admiration for Mortal Kombat hasn’t disappeared. In fact, it’s fascinating that his favorite character isn’t from the early days at all—it’s from Mortal Kombat X. Despite not playing the newer titles, Forden says he’s especially fond of the insect-like D’Vorah. And the reasons have everything to do with the sound design.
“One of the most amazing characters we ever worked on was D’Vorah,” he said. “The tech we developed for her, how she was animated, and the way she fit into the story mode—it all blew me away.” He described how his later work focused less on composing music and more on implementing complex sound effects, especially for characters. Getting every step, swing, and buzz to sound just right became its own art form.
D’Vorah’s unsettling presence—with her six legs and eerie insect sounds—was particularly challenging to design. Each movement required precision audio syncing to make her feel both alien and believable. “It was a lot of fun,” Forden recalled, though he admitted it pushed the limits of what their tools could handle at the time.
So, here’s the twist most fans didn’t expect: the man behind Mortal Kombat’s most famous shout, “Toasty!”, hasn’t really fought in a match since the 90s—but still helped bring some of its modern icons to life through sound.
But what do you think—can someone truly shape the soul of a game without actively playing it? Or does that distance actually give a creator fresh perspective? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
