After 30+ years, longtime Mortal Kombat audio director Dan Forden is no longer a part of the team working on the fighting series. The veteran game developer, famously known as the guy who pops up in the corner and yells “Toasty!” when uppercutting someone in a Mortal Kombat game, has left NetherRealm.
On October 2, as spotted by PC Gamer, Forden posted on Instagram that Wednesday was his last day at the WB-owned studio behind the Mortal Kombat franchise. Previously, Forden had worked at Midway Chicago, the predecessor to NetherRealm and the studio that originally developed the Mortal Kombat games. Forden has worked on every mainline entry in the franchise, starting with 1992’s Mortal Kombat all the way up to 2023’s Mortal Kombat 1.
He’s most famous for being the guy who popped up in the corner of the screen during fights in Mortal Kombat II and yelled “Toasty!” in a high-pitched voice. This Easter egg continued into nearly every subsequent game in the series, including some spin-offs and modern entries. Now, Toasty Dan, as he’s called online, has left behind the franchise he helped build over the last few decades.
“Wednesday was my last day at NetherRealm,” posted Forden on Instagram. “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.”
On Instagram, Forden shared a photo of what appears to be a bathroom inside the studio. And on the mirror inside the bathroom is a little sticker of him yelling his famous catchphrase as seen in MKII. Forden added that he “loved” these “little touches that people left around the studio.”
“I wouldn’t have lasted 37 years in the industry if fans weren’t out there playing the games we made,” said Forden. “Thanks to all of you for supporting what we’ve done. Live long and…Toasty!”