Street Fighter cast member Andrew Schulz took a lighthearted jab at the Mortal Kombat 2 movie crew at The Game Awards 2025, and now, Lewis Tan is keeping the beef going by firing shots of his own.
Schulz, who plays Dan Hibiki in the Street Fighter movie, stoked the flames of a decades-old video game rivalry when he took the stage with Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, Cody Rhodes, and more of his castmates at the December award show. It was a moment that drew confusion and excitement from fans, as the podcaster and comedian brought Mortal Kombat into the presentation, unprompted.
“We’re not the only game that appreciates your patronage. There’s another game out there. They also flew from around the world to be here because they appreciate you, so give it up for the whole cast of Mortal Kombat 2,” Schulz said at the time, calling the crew to the stage before revealing the moment to be an elaborate bit. “I’m just kidding. They didn’t come. They don’t care about you. They only care about money, OK? We care about money and you.”
“Street Fighter forever!” Schulz finished, throwing his fist in the air.
Now, Tan has appeared on The Brandon Davis Show to talk about his return as Cole Young – and to enter the ring himself. It mostly seems like a friendly rivalry, as he calls attention to names like Rayna Vallandingham (Juli) and Andrew Koji (Ryu) as people he’s already friends with. For Schulz, however, Tan is a bit more direct.
“Andrew Schulz is the last person who should be talking s*** on that stage,” Tan says with a grin. “Obviously not a fighter. Not even really an actor. Well, yeah, we heard it.”
When asked if there is a rivalry between the two video game movies, Tan, chuckling, says, “I mean, yeah. Let’s go, bro,” before later adding, “I love a good rivalry.” Mortal Kombat 2 movie producer Todd Garner took a different approach when responding shortly after Schulz’s stunt, saying, “I don’t climb over others to get ahead.” Garner later added that he hopes “both are huge,” suggesting that things are staying mostly playful for now.
“I saw the trailer. The trailer looked awesome, and I liked the tone that they’re bringing to it,” Tan added. “We’ll see what’s up. Numbers don’t lie. Mortal Kombat fans don’t play around with that. Street Fighter is dope. I played that game, too, but Mortal Kombat fans don’t mess about.”
Mortal Kombat 2 is first to the fight with its May 8, 2026, release date. Street Fighter will then follow a few months later come October 16. For more, you can read up on why we’re excited to see Karl Urban as Johnny Cage. You can also learn more about the Street Fighter movie’s star-studded cast here.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
