/News 13.06.23
FLAWLESS VICTORY: PLASTIC WAX’S ETERNAL CONNECTION TO THE MORTAL KOMBAT GAME FRANCHISE
On May 18, fans of the beloved Mortal Kombat franchise were treated to a remarkable delight as the Official Announcement Trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 game, crafted by the talented team at Plastic Wax, was unleashed to immense praise and eager anticipation.
The trailer swiftly amassed over 20 million combined views on YouTube and inspired numerous reaction trailers from content creators worldwide.
CONTENT WARNING: Trailers contain violence and gore – for mature audiences only
Written and directed by BOND Agency in conjunction with Ed Boon (VP and Creative Director at NetherRealm Studios, and acclaimed actor in the Mortal Kombat franchise), Plastic Wax were assigned the prestigious task of breathing new life into the iconic Fatalities and establishing a new beginning in the series while respecting its roots. From composition to capturing the characters’ essences, they ended up with a trailer that was both familiar and revitalising.
Plastic Wax are no strangers to the franchise. In 2019 they created the award-winning* announcement trailer for Mortal Kombat 11. They also created the tie-in downloadable content (DLC) trailers (the Kombat Pack Roster Reveal Trailer and the Ultimate Kombat Pack 2 Official Reveal Trailer) featuring cinema icons Rambo, The Terminator and Joker, which were built using Unreal Engine.
This isn’t the only reason they’re so familiar with Mortal Kombat, there’s a deep personal connection with brothers Nathan Maddams (Founder, Creative Director) and Tyrone Maddams (Art Director) that made working on these trailers far more special.
“Mortal Kombat has a special place in both mine and my brother’s hearts,” says Tyrone. “Vivid memories of being 10 years old, Saturday morning, waking up early, grabbing our BMX bikes and heading to the local video store RJ’s. Racing each other up the stairs, past the VHS Horror section and into the row of arcade machines. I remember so clearly watching Nathan play, him VS the machine and as he progressed through the battles racking up more and more victories, a crowd of teenagers gathered around.” Nathan was the first kid in the area to beat Mortal Kombat, which he considers “a badge of honour”.
When he was asked about working on Mortal Kombat 1’s Official Announcement Trailer, Tyrone knew the stakes were high,
“The main thoughts in my mind were that we have to impress both the fans and Ed Boon. The pressure really did help push the quality higher and further than ever before; all the elements came together and this is something truly special that we are all very proud of.”
– Tyrone Maddams, Art Director
Nathan added, “Every time we do a Mortal Kombat trailer we always go into it saying, ‘how can we make it better than the last one?’ I think we did that, and can’t wait for the next!”
In partnership with BOND Agency, Warner Bros. Games and NetherRealm Studios, Plastic Wax is both honoured and thrilled to have done the Mortal Kombat series justice once again with the Mortal Kombat 1 Official Announcement Trailer.
*2019 ProMax Games Awards – Best Promotional Trailer (All Inclusive) – Gold
2019 ProMax Games Awards – Best CGI – Silver
Written by: Yasemin Jane Arslan, Talent and Public Relations Specialist, Plastic Wax
