A trailer has been released for the brand new Mortal Kombat title, which takes the series back to its roots, as well as a confirmed release date.
NetherRealm Studios has finally lifted the lid on what's next for Mortal Kombat after the series' four year absence, with the last title being 2019's Mortal Kombat 11. It's been revealed that the 12th Mortal Kombat game will be aptly called Mortal Kombat 1 – which once again brings the series back to the beginning, taking place in the original Mortal Kombat era (much like 2011's Mortal Kombat did before it) – is the next new challenger. Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release September 19, 2023 on PS5, Xbox Series X |S, PC (through Steam and Epic Games) and – curiously – Nintendo Switch.
This trailer comes after a series of teases last week, which culminated with a Tweet yesterday on the Mortal Kombat twitter account simply saying "It is time" while giving the exact time the reveal would occur. The trailer was subsequently posted on the Mortal Kombat Website letting loose what the game would entail.
Shocking absolutely nobody, series poster boy Liu Kang is front and centre for the festivities (fresh after resetting the universe in Mortal Kombat 11) with the series other star: copious amounts of blood, gore, and all manner of gooey bits not far behind.
The game seems to follow the Outworld invasion of Earthrealm led by Shang Tsung, with various shots of Shang Tsung performing various gruesome attacks on the cast, followed by Liu Kang obliterating him in one of the most graphic fatalities we've ever seen from the series.
You weak, pathetic fools
As you would expect from a game titled Mortal Kombat 1, a majority of the confirmed cast are from the original Mortal Kombat trilogy. Thanks to a mixture of the trailer and the Mortal Kombat Website FAQ we know that Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Johnny Cage and Shang Tsung will be in the game, with Shang Tsung being relegated to DLC once again – coming free with pre-orders. Plus a unique roster of Kameo Fighters who can assist players during matches, but are not playable themselves.
As you would expect from a game published by Warner Bros Games there is a boatload of different versions of the game and DLC. Returning from past entries is the Kombat Pass which promises six new playable characters (two of which are rumoured to be Peacemaker from The Suicide Squad, and Homelander from The Boys), five Kameo Fighters and a Johnny Cage skin featuring the likeness of Jean-Claude Van Damme. All of the DLC will be included in the games Premium and Kollectors editions.
The FAQ also promises the return of the series' cinematic story mode which was originally introduced in Mortal Kombat (2011). There will also be a Mortal Kombat 1 Beta in August 2023 for players who pre-order the game on Xbox Series X|S and PS5. Finally – and most importantly – the Mortal Kombat 1 FAQ confirms that the game will have rollback netcode – a big win for the game already.
