The Mortal Kombat logo is arguably one of the most recognisable in all of gaming: the silouetted dragon swooping around to resemble the Yin and Yang symbol is stunning in its sheer simplicity.
It almost wasn't to be, however, if co-creator John Tobias had listened to a comment from his sister, who mistakenly thought that the original sketch of the dragon was actually a seahorse (thanks, IGN).
The amusing bombshell comes as part of a thread recently posted by Tobias as he dives into the creation of the now-iconic Mortal Kombat logo. In it, he remarks on how the logo is representative of both the game itself and the in-game tournament, explaining that the use of the dragon was inspired by the title 'Dragon Attack', which was in contention to become the game's official title before Tobias and Ed Boon settled on 'Mortal Kombat'.
As for the design of the dragon itself, Tobias recounts a brief story of when Mortal Kombat developer John Vogel noticed a statue of a dragon on the desk of Midway's general manager, Ken Fedesna. Vogel borrowed the statue for use in the game's backgrounds, but Tobias also used the dragon as inspiration for the in-game tournament, sketching out cabinet designs before ultimately implementing these into the logo itself.
It's a fascinating look into the creation of such an incredible logo and how quickly it was almost derailed by one comment! As for the franchise itself, fans are currently speculating on the eventual reveal of Mortal Kombat 12 following the remarkable success of Mortal Kombat 11, which launched on Nintendo Switch back in 2019.
- Read More
- Mortal Kombat 11 Review (Switch)
What do you make of John Tobias's story around the Mortal Kombat logo's creation? Are you looking forward to a new entry in the franchise? Let us know in the comments below!
[source twitter.com, via ign.com]
Comments 24
You mean it isn't?
Love the original Logo, great that it didn't wen down the water.
I have to confess, for a long time, I used to think that’s what that was lmao.
I love the logo but never understood the tongue hanging out which makes it look more snake-like
Now I will never not see a seahorse.
Wait, it's not a seahorse?
@Bunkerneath it's not the most prevalent but somewhat recurring trait in chinese dragon iconography. If I had to guess, I'd say it's inspired by big lizards, like the Komodo dragon
The Mortal Kombat theme song would NOT have hit as hard with a guy yelling "Dragon Attack!"
Yeah, I can see how you could mistake it for a seahorse.
Japan looks a little bit like a sea horse or a little dragon.
I can see where that mistake came from. I do like the logo though. I think it’s one of the best video game logos. Interesting read.
What happened to that MK Klassic Kollection on switch?
I'm with some others here in total shock that is actually isn't a seahorse... it just made sense. I don't know what to believe anymore.
In the Chinese mythical culture. The seahorse is believe by some to be a baby dragon curse by the Gods so it would be unable to evolve to wreck havoc onto mankind, that's why it looks so similar. Some believe that of all the millions of seahorse in the sea, only one per millennium would ever evolve into the mighty mythical creature. In the Fruits Baskets anime, the seahorse was represent in the Chinese animal zodiac 12 signs instead of the dragon.
This is all very interesting. I’ve met John Vogel at retro video game conferences, and he is introduced as the creator of the Mortal Kombat logo. But to go through this twitter story from Jon Tobias, you’d think that he himself was the creative force behind the logo, and that Vogel merely traced the finished product or something.
I now want Liu Kang's animality to be a seahorse. XD
I could see how people would confuse it for a seahorse if they had never seen an 'oriental' dragon before.
Now that it's been shown to me I can no longer unsee it every time I look at the logo now
I'm more shocked that I had completely bypassed the fact that the logo was designed to look like a yin & yang symbol
Whelp I didn’t know it was based on the ying and yang symbol until today. 🤦🏻♂️
Oh no! I sea it!
Thank Raiden, they never changed it, it's as Iconic a logo as you can get.
I never thought of a seahorse whenever I look at the logo but I guess I can understand why some would think of one.
I mean I can not not see the seahorse now
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