Mortal Kombat 1 director Ed Boon appeared on the YouTube show Hot Ones, offering fans their first look at Johnny Cage’s Jean-Claude Van Damme skin in action. The skin will be available for players who purchase MK1’s special editions as part of Kombat Pack DLC.
Van Damme’s appearance as Mortal Kombat 1’s Johnny Cage has been decades in the making
The Van Damme skin has already earned a lot of praise, with fans noting close resemblance between the actor and the character.
Speaking to Hot Ones, Boon revealed that he’s been trying to get in touch with Van Damme for decades. Back when he was in his 20s, he contacted the actor’s representatives but didn’t receive a response, presumably because video games didn’t exactly attract as much attention from the entertainment industry as they do now.
“We tried a number of times. We called his people, and we’re like, ‘We want to make a game based on Van Damme,'” Boon recalled. “This time we hit the lottery and we got him, and we actually have his voice, and he’s going to be the Johnny Cage character.” Boon said that this was the “absolute full circle moment” for him.
Mortal Kombat 1 will release on September 19, with early access kicking off on the 14th.
