Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, Ed Boon, recently shared an exciting glimpse into the future of the game via social media. He unveiled a sneak peek at the T-1000 Terminator's Fatality and teased fans about "future DLC" plans. This revelation came alongside the release of another guest character, Conan the Barbarian, marking a significant milestone for the game as it surpassed five million copies sold, up from the previously reported four million.
Boon shared a video clip showcasing the T-1000's Fatality, which cleverly references the iconic truck chase scene from Terminator 2. In the clip, the T-1000 uses a smashed-up truck to crush his opponent, much to the delight of fans of the movie franchise. The accompanying tweet from Boon hinted at more content to come, stating, "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!"
The T-1000 is the final character slated for release in the Khaos Reigns expansion, following other notable fighters like Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Speculation is rife among the Mortal Kombat community about whether this tease points to a third set of DLC characters or a Kombat Pack 3, especially given the game's strong sales performance.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of NetherRealm Studios, remains supportive of the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav expressed the company's commitment to focus on four key titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them. Additionally, in September, Ed Boon assured fans that NetherRealm had chosen its next project three years prior but would continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 for the foreseeable future.
While many fans anticipate a new installment in NetherRealm's DC fighting game series, Injustice, neither the studio nor Warner Bros. has confirmed any such plans. The Injustice series, which began with Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013 and continued with Injustice 2 in 2017, has been on hiatus since the release of Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and the subsequent 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 returning to the Injustice series. He cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to a newer version of the Unreal game engine as significant factors. Mortal Kombat 11 was built on Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 utilizes Unreal Engine 4. Boon emphasized the importance of safety during the pandemic and the studio's desire to adapt to new technology.
When asked directly about the future of the Injustice franchise, Boon was clear: "Not at all" closed, indicating that fans can still hope for a return to the DC universe in the fighting game genre.
