One of the most high-profile Mortal Kombat 1 modders on YouTube has pulled their content offline after alleging Warner Bros. “threatened to destroy” his channel.
Toasted tweeted to allege Warner Bros. had issued an intellectual property infringement notification that states the Mortal Kombat mods showcased in his videos “infringe” on the company’s IP rights. Toasted claimed that Warner Bros., which owns the Mortal Kombat IP as well as its developer, NetherRealm, requested he delete all Mortal Kombat 1 videos from his channel “or else they will issue copyright strikes and essentially delete my channel in its entirety."
These are all the videos I've had to private, I'm sorry to everyone who enjoyed them but Warner Bros isn't really giving me a choice pic.twitter.com/AB6fop5ot3
— Toasted (@ToastedShoes) May 23, 2024
IGN has verified the notification, sent by AI-powered brand protection company Tracer. It includes the takedown request, which also extends to Toasted’s Patreon, where the mods in question were made available to download to subscribers. IGN has confirmed Toasted has also pulled the Mortal Kombat 1 mods down from his Patreon. IGN has asked Warner Bros. for comment.
I voiced Rick, Morty, and Meeseeks in another @ToastedShoes mod :) pic.twitter.com/IoI5GgBLhT
— Sean Kelly (@RealMortysays) December 26, 2023
Toasted’s Mortal Kombat 1 mod videos have showcased NetherRealm’s fighting game with various characters from the likes of Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Warner Bros., and Dreamworks properties. In January 2024, IGN reported on how Toasted had replaced the likes of Sub-Zero, Scorpion, and Liu Kang with Woody from Toy Story, Mr. Incredible from The Incredibles, and even Carl Fredricksen from Up for various Mortal Kombat 1 mod videos. Other mod videos showed Rick & Morty and Family Guy in gory Mortal Kombat 1 battles.
I voiced Morty, Rick, and Meeseeks in a ToastedShoes mod :) pic.twitter.com/pftgehu7mS
— Sean Kelly (@RealMortysays) December 25, 2023
Toasted said clips of his mods have more than one billion views across all platforms, and highlighted that NetherRealm development chief Ed Boon has shared clips of mods himself on social media.
“For over six months Warner Bros. have had zero issues with people modding the game and @noobde himself has shared countless mod videos and clips praising them,” Toasted said.
“The clips of my mods have over one billion views across all platforms that have allowed me to bring attention to the game as well as to continue supporting the team of developers I work with. My team of modders work with me on both a part time and full time basis and the revenue from these videos pays their wages.”
Yeah it’s pretty whack. There’s clips of the mods with 50+ million views on the internet. If anything it would make people want to play the game more would it not? I’ve had many people reply saying they are getting the game PURELY for the mods pic.twitter.com/532r85YUyg
— Toasted (@ToastedShoes) May 23, 2024
Toasted also claimed he is unable to reply to the email sent by Warner Bros., which means he has no way of asking follow-up questions. “I also seem to be the only content creator that I know of that has been sent a cease and desist from Warner Bros.,” he added.
Toasted said the cease and desist has “forced” him to remove all the Mortal Kombat 1 mod videos from his channel. “This isn't what I wanted to do but I feel I have no other option,” he said.
Warner Bros.’ cease and desist comes just a few days before the company’s franchise-combining brawler MultiVersus launches across PC and consoles. MultiVersus, a free-to-play take on Nintendo’s Smash Bros. series, sees characters from across Warner Bros. properties, including Rick & Morty, battle in a distinctly more family friendly setting than NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat.
This isn’t the first time Toasted has found himself in hot water over his mod videos. In January 2024, Toasted claimed “Nintendo has come for me” after a takedown of a tweet teasing a Palworld mod with a clip showing Pokémon’s Ash Ketchum in place of the player character, as well as famous Pokémon such as Pikachu replacing Palworld’s Pals.
The question now for Toasted is how to respond to the cease and desist beyond taking down the mods and videos. In a statement provided to IGN, Toasted insisted he will contest the decision. "We are currently listening to and abiding by Warners Bros request to remove the videos,” Toasted said. “However we are going to contest their decision. Right now we are waiting for actual communication from Warner Bros so we can resolve the matter.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
