Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition Release Sparks Backlash, With Disgruntled Fans Fearing ‘The Game Is Done’ Less Than 2 Years After Launch

Warner Bros. Games has announced and released Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition, which it described arsenic "the astir extended version" of the gory warring game. But for fans, the merchandise of the Definitive Edition has sparked important interest that NetherRealm has present moved connected from the game, and that it won’t spot immoderate caller DLC characters oregon important contented updates.

The Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition offers the main crippled packaged unneurotic with antecedently released downloadable content, including the Khaos Reigns communicative expansion, Kombat Pack 1, and Kombat Pack 2.

The Definitive Edition besides adds caller quality skins for Johnny Cage, Kitana, Scorpion, and Shao Khan “inspired” by the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2 film, the Mortal Kombat (2021) movie quality tegument for Sub-Zero; and the tourney themed quality tegument (outfit) for Liu Kang.

For fans, The Definitive Edition feels similar a enactment has been drawn nether Mortal Kombat 1. While Warner Bros. is known for its definitive and eventual editions, and so NetherRealm games thin to get them, this clip determination is simply a consciousness of finality to the release. And with nary announcements forthcoming astir a Kombat Pack 3 oregon thing other meaningful for Mortal Kombat 1, fans judge that’s that.

If true, it’s a large disappointment for hardcore Mortal Kombat 1 fans, who had hoped for importantly longer word enactment for the game. Indeed, galore are present pointing to a September 2024 tweet from NetherRealm improvement main Ed Boon, who moved to reassure fans already acrophobic that the workplace had moved onto its adjacent crippled by saying: “NetherRealm is inactive afloat committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a agelong clip to come.”

"The crippled is done, it’s their mode of saying ‘Goodbye! Come backmost the adjacent twelvemonth oregon 2 for different overly priced crippled bloated with impermanent characters!’ " said a intelligibly disgruntled redditor.

“MK1 officially has a shorter contented lifespan than the f***ing Texas Chainsaw Massacre crippled lmao,” said another.

For context, successful July 2021, NetherRealm announced it had started enactment connected its adjacent task (Mortal Kombat 1) and, arsenic a result, determination would beryllium nary further DLC for Mortal Kombat 11. That announcement came 2 years and 3 months aft the merchandise of the game. NetherRealm is yet to marque a akin announcement for Mortal Kombat 1.

Mortal Kombat 1 enjoyed thing of a resurgence successful January with the concealed combat with Floyd, the pinkish ninja developer Ed Boon had been teasing for years. That sparked a amusive community-wide effort that breathed caller beingness into the game. But that was a uncommon agleam spot for what has, overall, been a disappointing merchandise for galore halfway Mortal Kombat fans.

T-1000 Terminator was the last DLC quality added to Mortal Kombat 1 arsenic portion of the Khaos Reigns expansion, and follows playable fighters Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Fans person wondered for immoderate clip present whether developer NetherRealm plans a 3rd acceptable of DLC characters, oregon a Kombat Pack 3, amid questions astir Mortal Kombat 1’s income success.

Parent institution Warner Bros. Discovery has indicated, however, that it inactive believes successful the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav said that connected the games broadside of things, the institution plans to treble down connected conscionable 4 titles, 1 of which is Mortal Kombat.

Most fans of the studio’s enactment expect it to merchandise a 3rd crippled successful its DC warring crippled franchise, Injustice, though neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has yet to corroborate that. The archetypal crippled successful the series, Injustice: Gods Among Us, launched successful 2013, with its sequel, Injustice 2, coming retired successful 2017. NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 11 successful 2019 and for a clip it seemed similar the workplace would alternate betwixt Mortal Kombat and Injustice games, but it went connected to merchandise different Mortal Kombat, the brushed reboot that is Mortal Kombat 1, successful 2023 instead.

In an interrogation with IGN successful June 2023, Boon spoke successful vague presumption astir this decision. "There were a fig of factors, immoderate of which I tin speech about, immoderate of which I astir apt shouldn't," Boon said.

Two reasons Boon was consenting to sermon were the unfortunate onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's prime to power to a newer mentation of the Unreal crippled motor (Mortal Kombat 11 runs connected Unreal Engine 3, whereas Mortal Kombat 1 runs connected Unreal Engine 4).

"But we did spell to a caller graphics engine, Unreal," Boon said. "We truly wanted to beryllium cautious with COVID and each that worldly and everybody staying safe. So determination were a clump of variables progressive that yet we realized, 'Okay, let's bash different Mortal Kombat crippled and hopefully we'll get backmost to the Injustice games.' "

Just to beryllium sure, we wanted to corroborate with him straight that the doorway was not closed connected the Injustice franchise.

"Not astatine all," Boon answered.

Mortal Kombat 1 has sold 5 cardinal copies, with the franchise present up to 100 million. Mortal Kombat 11 became the best-selling crippled successful the franchise by passing Mortal Kombat X's astir 11 cardinal units sold worldwide. By 2022, Mortal Kombat 11 had sold much than 15 cardinal copies worldwide. Clearly, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed compared to erstwhile games successful the series.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].