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Insert Coin, a full Midway Games documentary, launches in late November

Late this November, Insert Coin will take a deep dive into the history of Midway Games and explore how the likes of Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and more came to fruition.

TJ Denzer

November 5, 2020 5:05 AM

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Midway Games is not around anymore, but in the 1990s through the 2000s, it was a constant and loud force in the world of arcade and home gaming. Midway launched a realm of good franchises including Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, Cruis’n USA, and so much more. Now, a full-on documentary is taking a deep dive into the full story of Midway. Insert Coin will be exploring the rise and apex of the video game developer and publisher, and it will be viewable late this November 2020.

The group behind Insert Coin revealed a launch date for the documentary in a press release alongside a YouTube trailer on November 5, 2020. Starting on November 25, 2020, viewers will be able to find Insert Coin at Alamo Drafthouse’s On Demand website as a digital release. Insert Coin is the love letter of Director Joshua Tsui, once an employee at Midway Games and alumni of the Mortal Kombat development team, as he takes us deep inside the culture and rise of the company.

Insert Coin features interviews and commentary from various key players throughout Midway Games’ history, including the likes of Eugene Jarvis (Defender, Robotron: 2084), Mark Turmell (SmashTV, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz), John Tobias (co-creator of Mortal Kombat), and George Petro (NARC, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Revolution X). Industry insiders are also featured, including Carly Kucerek (Coin-Operated Americans) and Ready, Player One writer and screenwriter Ernest Cline.

“Insert Coin is the culmination of my work in and passion for the gaming industry blended with my love for visual storytelling,” said Tsui. “It truly is my love letter to the early days of Midway and how it influenced the transition from classic coin-operated games to ushering in a new generation of console gaming. I hope fans of video games, and especially of Midway, will love watching Insert Coin as much as we enjoyed making it!”

With the Insert Coin documentary launching at the end of this month, it’s a great opportunity to see a deep look at of one of the most interesting contributors to modern arcade and home gaming history - a history that echos even today in the likes of Killer Instinct and Mortal Kombat 11. Stay tuned for November 25 as Insert Coin goes live on Alamo Drafthouse On Demand.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.