Warner Bros. has officially confirmed the fears of Mortal Kombat 1 fans following the launch of the Definitive Edition: no additional DLC characters or story chapters will be added to the game. Despite selling 5 million copies and contributing to the franchise's total of 100 million units sold, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed compared to its predecessors. Mortal Kombat 11, for instance, surpassed the sales of Mortal Kombat X's nearly 11 million units soon after its launch and went on to sell over 15 million copies by 2022.
In a tweet from the official Mortal Kombat social media account, Warner Bros. expressed understanding of the disappointment this news would bring to players. "But our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can," they stated. Although Warner Bros. did not disclose the nature of this new project, speculation suggests it might be Injustice 3, the next installment in NetherRealm's DC fighting game series.
Here’s the full statement from Warner Bros.:We are hearing players’ requests for continued game support of Mortal Kombat 1, and, while we will continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 through balance adjustments and fixes, there will not be additional DLC characters or story chapters released from this point on.
We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can.
The release of the T-1000 guest character in March 2025, which occurred a year-and-a-half after Mortal Kombat 1's launch, marks the game's last major content update. For comparison, NetherRealm announced in July 2021 that it had begun work on its next project (Mortal Kombat 1) and would cease further DLC for Mortal Kombat 11. That announcement came two years and three months after Mortal Kombat 11's release, while today's announcement comes one year and eight months after Mortal Kombat 1's release.
Players have recalled earlier statements from NetherRealm's development chief, Ed Boon, who had promised years of support for Mortal Kombat 1. A September 2024 tweet from Boon aimed to reassure fans that the studio remained "fully committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a long time to come." However, many fans feel let down by the recent announcement.
AnswerSee ResultsMortal Kombat 1 saw a brief resurgence in January with the secret fight against Floyd, the pink ninja developer Boon had been teasing for years. This sparked a community-wide effort that injected new life into the game. However, this was a rare highlight in what has been an overall disappointing release for many core Mortal Kombat fans.
Looking ahead, Warner Bros. Discovery remains optimistic about the future of the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav announced plans to focus on just four titles, one of which is Mortal Kombat. Additionally, the movie adaptation, Mortal Kombat 2, is set to be released later this year.
