Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, Ed Boon, recently shared an exciting preview of the upcoming guest character T-1000 Terminator's Fatality on social media, alongside hints about "future DLC." This announcement came alongside the release of another guest character, Conan the Barbarian, and Boon revealed that Mortal Kombat 1 has now surpassed five million copies sold, an increase from the previously reported four million.
Boon's tweet included a short clip showcasing one of 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, echoing the iconic chase scene from the movie where the T-1000 pursues Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator and Edward Furlong’s John Connor.
In his tweet, Boon also teased more content, stating, "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!" This comment has sparked speculation among the Mortal Kombat community about the possibility of additional DLC characters beyond the current set.
T-1000 Terminator marks the final addition to the Khaos Reigns expansion, joining other fighters such as Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. With fans eagerly awaiting news on whether NetherRealm will introduce a third set of DLC characters or a Kombat Pack 3, the sales success of Mortal Kombat 1 remains a topic of interest.
Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company, has expressed continued confidence in the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav announced plans to focus heavily on four key titles, including Mortal Kombat. Meanwhile, in September, Boon revealed that NetherRealm had chosen its next game three years prior but committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for the long haul.
Speculation about NetherRealm's future projects points toward a potential third installment in the Injustice series, though neither the studio nor Warner Bros. has confirmed this yet. The Injustice series, which started with Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013 and continued with Injustice 2 in 2017, was expected to follow an alternating release pattern with Mortal Kombat. However, the release of Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and the subsequent soft reboot, Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023, disrupted this pattern.
In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Boon discussed the decision to focus on another Mortal Kombat game instead of returning to Injustice. He cited the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the studio's switch to a newer version of the Unreal game engine as key factors. While Mortal Kombat 11 was built on Unreal Engine 3, Mortal Kombat 1 utilizes Unreal Engine 4. Boon emphasized the team's desire to ensure safety during the pandemic and their enthusiasm for the new graphics engine.
When asked about the future of the Injustice franchise, Boon was clear: "Not at all," indicating that the door remains open for more Injustice games.
