Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition Sparks Fan Outcry

Warner Bros. Games has unveiled and launched Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition, billing it as the "most comprehensive version" of the brutal fighter. For the community, however, this release has raised major fears that NetherRealm Studios has concluded its work on the title, signaling an end to new DLC fighters and major content additions.

Mortal Kombat 1: Definitive Edition bundles the base game with all previously launched downloadable content, such as the Khaos Reigns story expansion, Kombat Pack 1, and Kombat Pack 2.

The Definitive Edition also introduces fresh character skins for Johnny Cage, Kitana, Scorpion, and Shao Khan, drawing inspiration from the forthcoming Mortal Kombat 2 film. Additionally, it includes the Sub-Zero skin from the Mortal Kombat (2021) movie and a tournament-themed outfit for Liu Kang.

To many fans, the Definitive Edition feels like a final chapter for Mortal Kombat 1. Warner Bros. is no stranger to such comprehensive editions, and NetherRealm's games typically receive them, but this release carries a particular air of finality. With no official word on a Kombat Pack 3 or other substantial updates, the community widely believes the T-1000 guest character, slated for March 2025, will be the game's last addition.

If this holds true, it represents a significant letdown for dedicated Mortal Kombat 1 players who anticipated much longer-term support. Many are now recalling a September 2024 tweet from NetherRealm's development head, Ed Boon. At the time, he sought to reassure fans worried about the studio moving on by stating, "NetherRealm is still fully committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a long time to come."

"The game is finished. This is their way of saying, 'Goodbye! See you in a year or two for another overpriced game stuffed with guest characters!'" vented one clearly frustrated Reddit user.

Another commented, "MK1 officially had a shorter content lifecycle than the freaking Texas Chainsaw Massacre game, lol."

NRS promises multi-year support > support ends after 2 years. Every single time.
byu/AndrewTheSouless inMortalKombat

For context, in July 2021, NetherRealm announced it had begun development on its next project (which became Mortal Kombat 1), effectively ending DLC support for Mortal Kombat 11. That announcement came roughly two years and three months after MK11's launch. A similar statement has not yet been made for Mortal Kombat 1.

The game experienced a brief resurgence in January with the secret battle against Floyd, the pink ninja character Ed Boon had teased for years. This sparked a fun, community-wide hunt that injected fresh energy into the game. However, that moment was a rare highlight in what many core fans consider a disappointing overall release cycle.

The T-1000 Terminator was the final DLC fighter added to Mortal Kombat 1 via the Khaos Reigns expansion, joining other post-launch characters like Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Speculation about a potential third set of DLC characters, or a Kombat Pack 3, has persisted for some time, intertwined with questions about the game's commercial performance.

Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has signaled continued faith in the Mortal Kombat brand. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated that on the gaming front, the company plans to focus its investment heavily on just four core franchises, one of which is Mortal Kombat.

Good job, everyone.
byu/SauloPMB inMortalKombat

Most followers of the studio expect its next project to be a third installment in its DC Comics fighting series, Injustice, though neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has confirmed this. The first game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, launched in 2013, followed by its sequel, Injustice 2, in 2017. NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019. While it once seemed the studio alternated between Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles, it instead followed up with another Mortal Kombat game—the 2023 soft reboot, Mortal Kombat 1.

In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Boon addressed this decision in broad terms. "A number of factors influenced it, some I can discuss, others I probably shouldn't," Boon said.

Two reasons he was willing to share were the disruptive onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's decision to migrate to a newer iteration of the Unreal Engine (Mortal Kombat 11 used Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 utilizes Unreal Engine 4).

"But we did transition to a new graphics engine, Unreal," Boon explained. "We also had to be extremely cautious with COVID, ensuring everyone's safety. Several variables eventually led us to conclude, 'Alright, let's develop another Mortal Kombat game, and we hope to return to the Injustice series later.'"

To be absolutely clear, IGN directly asked if the Injustice franchise was being shelved indefinitely.

"Not at all," Boon replied.

What Will Be NetherRealm Studios' Next Game?

Mortal Kombat 2Injustice 3Something else (let us know what in the comments)

AnswerSee Results

Mortal Kombat 1 has sold 5 million copies, contributing to a series lifetime total of 100 million units. Mortal Kombat 11 became the franchise's best-selling entry, surpassing Mortal Kombat X's nearly 11 million units sold globally. By 2022, Mortal Kombat 11 had exceeded 15 million copies worldwide. By these metrics, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed relative to its immediate predecessors.