Mortal Monday 1993 #retrogaming #mortalkombat
4Mortal Monday was a marketing campaign launched in 1993 by Midway Games to promote the release of the home console versions of their popular arcade game, Mortal Kombat. The campaign was designed to create hype and excitement for the game's release and was notable for its aggressive and controversial marketing tactics.
Mortal Kombat was a fighting game that stood out from other games of its time due to its realistic graphics, over-the-top violence, and the inclusion of "fatalities," which were finishing moves that allowed players to brutally kill their opponents. The arcade version of the game had already garnered a large following, and the home console versions were highly anticipated.
Midway Games decided to use Mortal Monday as a way to promote the game's release on home consoles, which included the Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Game Boy, and Game Gear. The company declared August 30, 1993, as Mortal Monday and launched an aggressive marketing campaign to promote the game's release.
The campaign included television commercials, print ads, and even a hotline where players could call in and hear information about the game. The commercials featured the tagline "Mortal Monday is coming," and showed footage of the game's violent fatalities. The campaign also included a Mortal Kombat tournament held in Los Angeles, which was broadcast on pay-per-view television.
The marketing campaign was met with controversy, with many parents and advocacy groups concerned about the game's violent content and its potential impact on children. The controversy only helped to fuel the hype and excitement surrounding the game, however, and it became one of the most successful video game releases of all time.
In the end, Mortal Monday was a huge success for Midway Games and helped to cement Mortal Kombat's place in video game history. The game's popularity continued to grow, and it spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs over the years. While the Mortal Monday campaign may have been controversial, it was also a groundbreaking marketing effort that helped to shape the way video games were marketed and promoted in the years to come.