Available today via Alamo Drafthouse’s Alamo On Demand Digital Release, Insert Coin takes viewers back to the early days of the groundbreaking studio Midway Games, famous for legendary titles like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Narc.
Director Joshua Tsui has crafted Insert Coin as a love letter, time machine, and insider’s look at a studio that created pop culture giants that would fundamentally change how we played video games. The early 90s were like the Wild West era of the gaming industry, and no studio represented that ethos more than Midway Games with its wildly controversial (and hugely successful) titles like Mortal Kombat, a game that thrilled players and shocked parental advisory groups across the globe with its over the top violence and colorful cast.
Tsui was there when it all went down, having worked on the Mortal Kombat franchise and even lent his face to Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat IV. Insert Coin features interviews with past Midway team members, including Eugene Jarvis (Defender and Robotron: 2084), Mark Turmell (SmashTV, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz), John Tobias (co-creator Mortal Kombat series), George Petro (NARC, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Revolution X), and others. Also prominently featured are industry insiders Carly Kucerek (Coin-Operated Americans) and novelist and screenwriter Ernest Cline (Ready Player One, Armada).
“We’re incredibly proud of this film and it was a pleasure working with Joshua Tsui and his team,” said David Piperni, Founder of Cargo Film & Releasing. “As we kick off the latest console generation, we hope Insert Coin serves as a fun and informative ride that takes players back the era when gaming exploded as a mainstream pop-culture phenomenon.“
“Putting together Insert Coin was a wonderful trip down memory lane, but it’s also so much more than that,” said Joshua Tsui, Insert Coin’s director. “This film documents a true paradigm shift in gaming, and Midway Games was instrumental in bringing fun, competitive titles from the arcade to the living room. I’m beyond excited to share this journey with our viewers, and hope they have as much fun watching it as we did making it.”
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