Mortal Kombat 1 begins a bloody new era

TEST YOUR HYPE! Hot off the heels of some hints earlier in the month, we now have our first official look at Mortal Kombat 1, which looks to take the gory fighter to visually stunning new heights! Are you ready to choose a whole new destiny?

Mortal Kombat 1, as its name suggests, takes place in a new timeline following the events of Mortal Kombat 11. Fire God Liu Kang (if you know, you know) has created a new era in which the characters we know and love can live out their lives in peace or bloodshed. While the trailer above shows intriguing glimpses into what the new era is like, one of six realms in the universe, Edenia, has been restored. Kitana and her sister Mileena can sit in a confined space together without number 2 hitting the fan, but there’s still plenty left to be revealed.

Series veterans will recall that the franchise has flirted with rebooting once before, having reset its own events with Mortal Kombat 9 back in 2011. What followed was a very different take on the previous story whilst still paying tribute to what had come before; this is in rather stark contrast to Mortal Kombat 1, which is a completely clean slate that is entirely up to the whims of the writers and (in-universe) Liu Kang. Scorpion could keep his family, or Sub-Zero could be his brother! Heck, Kano could even be SCOTTISH! Imagine.

The announcement for Mortal Kombat 1 comes after some teasing from series co-creator Ed Boon on Twitter, who posted the following cryptic video on Twitter:

Does anyone know what time it is? #MortalKombatpic.twitter.com/pXY2wlidde

— Ed Boon (@noobde) May 10, 2023

This typical Ed Boon tease was followed up on 17 May with this tweet that gave a time for the official Mortal Kombat 1 announcement. The new game is a step forward AND back in the timeline—very poetic for a series where you can burst peoples’ testes with a punch.

According to the official website, Mortal Kombat 1 will introduce a new fighting system and new modes, alongside a new story campaign that will feature our Mortal Kombat favourites “like you’ve never seen them before”. Considering this is an entirely new history we’re dealing with, that last part should not be taken lightly.

In terms of characters, the following fighters are returning and more are to be announced.

• Liu Kang
• Scorpion
• Sub-Zero
• Raiden
• Kung Lao
• Kitana
• Mileena
• Shang Tsung
• Johnny Cage.

Kameo Fighters are being introduced, a unique roster of partner characters to assist during matches, creating expanded gameplay possibilities for players. These characters are chosen separately from the main roster of fighters.

There will be three editions of the game. Mortal Kombat Standard and Premium will be available physically and digitally, the latter coming with early access and 1,250 Dragon Krystals (in-game currency). Premium also includes the Kombat Pack, which features the Jean-Claude Van Damme – Johnny Cage character skin, early access to six new playable characters (available post-launch), and five new Kameo Fighters (available post-launch).

The Mortal Kombat 1 Kollector’s Edition will be available, physical only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The Kollector’s Edition includes all Premium Edition content and early access, along with a 16.5-inch Liu Kang sculpture designed by COARSE and an inspired Liu Kang in-game character skin, three exclusive art prints, a steel case, and 1,450 additional Dragon Krystals (2,700 total).

For those looking to get their hands bloody as soon as possible, a beta test begins in August 2023 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox—bring on the gameplay footage!

Mortal Kombat 1 will release 20 September 2023 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam and the Epic Games Store. Until then, have fun bugging the devs on Twitter to add your main to the roster just like the last game! (Please don’t do that)