Dan Forden, the longtime audio director for Midway and NetherRealm Studios, has been synonymous with Mortal Kombat since his iconic “Toasty!” catchphrase first appeared in Mortal Kombat II in 1993. Now, after 36 years, Forden has announced his departure from the studio he joined in 1989.
Forden shared the news on his Instagram account alongside a picture of a homage to his first “Toasty!” appearance.
“Wednesday was my last day at NetherRealm,” said Forden. “We made a lot of fun stuff over the years. I’m really proud of what we accomplished as well as how much fun we had making that stuff. There are so many smart, talented people there–look for more great things to emerge over the next several years. I love the little touches that people left around the studio like this little Toasty homage on the bathroom mirror. I wouldn’t have lasted 37 years in the industry if fans weren’t out there playing the games we made. Thanks to all of you for supporting what we’ve done. Live long and… Toasty!”
Forden addressed the reason for his departure in the comments, and said, “I figured I’d been around long enough. Want to reclaim that time for my own interests.”
Many of Forden’s earliest games with the franchise will be collected in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, which is coming to consoles and PC on December 12. That collection will also include a pair of spin-offs–Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat Special Forces–that hadn’t been readily available since the PS1 era.
Earlier this year, NetherRealm Studios confirmed that there will be no more DLC for Mortal Kombat 1. Netherrealm Studios has yet to announce its next title. An art-book retrospective called Mortal Kombat: Flawless Victory will be released on October 21. It was originally going to debut near the release date of Mortal Kombat 2, but the theatrical sequel has been pushed back to May 15, 2026.
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