Warner Bros Games and NetherRealm Studios’ latest fighting game, Mortal Kombat 1, is set to receive a story expansion that is similar to Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath.
Speaking during an interview at Omelette CCXP23, Mortal Kombat 1 director Ed Boon revealed that it will receive a story expansion similar to Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, followed by a “big surprise”. He mentioned that the studio will be supporting the game for even longer than it did with Mortal Kombat 11.
It’s hard to say what the major surprise will end up being, though a brand new mode of some sort would be a likely possibility. It would appear that NetherRealm Studios plans on supporting Mortal Kombat 1 throughout the current console generation. The studio’s commitment to supporting the game for a lengthy duration was also indicated by Warner Bros Discovery Inc’s Q3 2023 earnings call, where the company revealed plans to further drive monetization through live service strategies.
The publisher stated that it is leading with multiple key franchises, each of which is a $1 billion gaming property, including Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, DC, which is mainly Batman today, and Mortal Kombat, whose most recent release, Mortal Kombat 1 has sold nearly 3 million copies since its launch in mid-September. Warner Bros claimed that it has the proven IP and franchises, the world class studios and publishing talent, and it intends to continue to invest more capital and more resources into the games business.
WB Games’ focus is on transforming its biggest franchises from largely console and PC based with three-four year release schedules to include more always online gameplay through live services, multiplatform and free-to-play extensions, with the goal to have more players spending more time on more platforms. The publisher mentioned that it wants to drive engagement and monetization of longer cycles and at higher levels. The company is currently under scale and views significant opportunity to generate greater post purchase revenue.
Mortal Kombat 1 is the twelfth main installment in the Mortal Kombat series, serving as both a sequel to Mortal Kombat 11 (2019) and the series’ second reboot, following Mortal Kombat (2011). The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on September 18, 2023, with the premium edition having been released on September 14.
