Warner Bros. Games has unveiled and launched Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition, heralded as "the most comprehensive version" of this iconic fighting game. However, this release has ignited considerable worry among fans that NetherRealm Studios might be shifting focus away from Mortal Kombat 1, signaling an end to future DLC characters and major content updates.
The Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition bundles the core game with an array of previously released downloadable content, including the Khaos Reigns story expansion, Kombat Pack 1, and Kombat Pack 2. Additionally, it introduces fresh character skins for Johnny Cage, Kitana, Scorpion, and Shao Khan, drawing inspiration from the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 movie. It also features a Mortal Kombat (2021) movie skin for Sub-Zero and a tournament-themed outfit for Liu Kang.
For many fans, the launch of the Definitive Edition marks a definitive endpoint for Mortal Kombat 1. Although Warner Bros. is renowned for releasing ultimate editions, and NetherRealm games typically follow suit, this release carries an air of finality. The absence of announcements regarding a Kombat Pack 3 or any significant future updates has led fans to speculate that the March 2025 addition of the T-1000 guest character might be the game's final content drop.
If these fears are realized, it would be a major letdown for dedicated Mortal Kombat 1 fans who were anticipating extended support for the game. This sentiment is heightened by a September 2024 tweet from NetherRealm's development chief, Ed Boon, who had reassured fans that the studio remained "fully committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a long time to come."
"The game is done, it's their way of saying 'Goodbye! Come back in a year or two for another overpriced game bloated with guest characters!'" expressed a frustrated user on Reddit.
"MK1 officially has a shorter content lifespan than the f***ing Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, lol," remarked another.
NRS promises Multi year support> support ends after 2 years. every time
byu/AndrewTheSouless inMortalKombat
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For reference, in July 2021, NetherRealm announced the commencement of their next project (which turned out to be Mortal Kombat 1), and consequently, there would be no further DLC for Mortal Kombat 11. This announcement came two years and three months post-launch. To date, no such announcement has been made for Mortal Kombat 1.
Mortal Kombat 1 saw a brief resurgence in January with the unveiling of a secret fight featuring Floyd, the pink ninja developer Ed Boon had been hinting at for years. This sparked a community-wide effort that reinvigorated interest in the game. However, this was a rare highlight in what has been a largely disappointing release for many core Mortal Kombat fans.
The T-1000 Terminator was the last DLC character added to Mortal Kombat 1 as part of the Khaos Reigns expansion, following other playable fighters like Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Amidst questions about the game's sales performance, fans have been speculating about the possibility of a third set of DLC characters or a Kombat Pack 3.
Despite this, Warner Bros. Discovery's parent company has reaffirmed its faith in the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated that the company intends to intensify focus on just four titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them.
Good job guys
byu/SauloPMB inMortalKombat
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Most fans anticipate NetherRealm will release a third game in its DC fighting game franchise, Injustice, though neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has confirmed this yet. The initial game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, debuted in 2013, followed by Injustice 2 in 2017. NetherRealm launched Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019, which seemed to suggest an alternating pattern between Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles. However, they opted for another Mortal Kombat release, the soft reboot Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023.
In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Ed Boon touched on the decision-making behind this choice. "There were a number of factors, some of which I can talk about, some of which I probably shouldn't," Boon explained. He cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's decision to upgrade to a newer version of the Unreal game engine (Mortal Kombat 11 used Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 uses Unreal Engine 4).
"But we did go to a new graphics engine, Unreal," Boon said. "We really wanted to be careful with COVID and all that stuff and everybody staying safe. So there were a bunch of variables involved that eventually we realized, 'Okay, let's do another Mortal Kombat game and hopefully we'll get back to the Injustice games.' "
To clarify, we sought direct confirmation from Boon about the status of the Injustice franchise.
"Not at all," Boon responded, indicating that the door remains open for future Injustice titles.
AnswerSee ResultsMortal Kombat 1 has achieved sales of 5 million copies, contributing to the franchise's total of 100 million units sold. While Mortal Kombat 11 became the best-selling entry in the series, surpassing Mortal Kombat X's nearly 11 million units worldwide, and reaching over 15 million by 2022, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed in comparison to its predecessors.
