Mortal Kombat 1’s creative director, Ed Boon, recently shared a sneak peek of the T-1000 Terminator’s upcoming Fatality on social media, simultaneously teasing future DLC. This reveal coincided with the announcement that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, a significant jump from the previously reported four million, following the release of the Conan the Barbarian guest character.
Boon’s tweet included a short video showcasing the T-1000’s Fatality, a thrilling recreation of the iconic Terminator 2 truck chase scene. The accompanying comment, “With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!”, sparked considerable speculation within the Mortal Kombat community.
While this statement could simply refer to the imminent arrival of the T-1000, the final DLC character in the Khaos Reigns expansion (following Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan), many fans interpret it as a hint towards additional DLC characters beyond the current set. This speculation is fueled by ongoing questions about potential future DLC packs and Mortal Kombat 1’s sales performance.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company, has reaffirmed its commitment to the Mortal Kombat franchise, stating plans to significantly invest in only four key titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them. Ed Boon himself previously confirmed NetherRealm’s decision on their next game three years prior, while assuring continued support for Mortal Kombat 1 for an extended period.
Anticipation is high for NetherRealm’s next project, with many expecting a third installment in the DC-themed Injustice fighting game franchise. While neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has officially confirmed this, the previous releases of Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) and Injustice 2 (2017), alternating with Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) and Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), have fueled this speculation.
In a previous interview, Boon alluded to various factors influencing the decision to release another Mortal Kombat game before Injustice, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to a newer Unreal Engine (Unreal Engine 4 for Mortal Kombat 1, compared to Unreal Engine 3 for Mortal Kombat 11). However, Boon explicitly stated that the Injustice franchise remains a possibility.
