Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, Ed Boon, recently took to social media to offer fans a sneak peek at the upcoming guest character T-1000 Terminator's Fatality, while also teasing "future DLC." This revelation came as Boon celebrated the release of another guest character, Conan the Barbarian, and announced that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, up from the previously reported four million.
Boon shared a short clip showcasing one of the T-1000's Fatalities, which is bound to thrill fans of Terminator 2. The clip features the T-1000 driving a smashed-up truck into his opponent, reminiscent of the iconic chase scene from the movie where the T-1000 pursues Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator and Edward Furlong's John Connor.
Alongside the clip, Boon's comment, "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!" has sparked excitement and speculation within the Mortal Kombat community. While this could be a reference to the upcoming release of the T-1000, many fans are hopeful that it hints at additional DLC characters beyond the current lineup.
T-1000 Terminator marks the final addition to the Khaos Reigns expansion, following the introduction of Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Speculation has been rife about whether NetherRealm Studios will introduce a third set of DLC characters or a Kombat Pack 3, especially in light of the game's sales performance.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of NetherRealm, has expressed continued faith in the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated that the company plans to focus on just four titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them.
In September, Boon himself confirmed that NetherRealm had chosen its next game three years prior but assured fans that support for Mortal Kombat 1 would continue "for a long time to come." Many in the gaming community anticipate that NetherRealm's next project might be a third installment in the Injustice series, though neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has confirmed this. The Injustice series began with Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013, followed by Injustice 2 in 2017. Instead of alternating between Mortal Kombat and Injustice as previously expected, NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and then the soft reboot, Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023.
In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Boon discussed the decision to release another Mortal Kombat game instead of an Injustice title. He cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch to a newer version of the Unreal game engine as key factors. Mortal Kombat 11 used Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 runs on Unreal Engine 4. Boon emphasized the team's desire to ensure safety during the pandemic and their excitement about the new graphics engine.
When asked directly about the future of the Injustice franchise, Boon was clear: "Not at all," indicating that the door remains open for future Injustice games.
