'Mortal Kombat 11' Won't Have As Many New Characters As 'Mortal Kombat X'

One of the most exciting things about the pre-release period for any fighting game, is predicting who will be in the game's roster at launch. And this is especially fun with Mortal Kombat when you consider there's around 80 fighters to choose from, and only about 25 percent of them will make a return.

And it's not just all about returning fighters, there's also a lot of excitement over what new fighters NetherRealm Studios will add to the mix. That said, if you're more of a fan of the former than the latter, good news: Mortal Kombat 11 won't have as many new fighters as Mortal Kombat X.

The news comes way of director Ed Boon, who, while speaking to GameInformer, revealed multiple veterans will be returning in the place of new slots. And from the sounds of it, the backlash over no Baraka in Mortal Kombat X played a role in this decision.

"I think Mortal Kombat X probably introduced more brand-new characters," said Boon. "The D'Vorahs, and Ferra & Torrs, Cassie Cage and Jackie, probably more than Mortal Kombat 11. I think Mortal Kombat 11 will introduce some new characters, but we have 80 characters or something, there's always this passion to seeing your favorite character returning, Skarlet or Baraka. Baraka's a big one. People were pissed when Baraka wasn't in MKX. So I think if we had like a needle, it'd lean a little bit more towards servicing those players who want to see their favorite return."

It's interesting to hear that Boon and his team are leaning more towards servicing the game's hardcore base, which it didn't do as much with MKX. And this is probably the right move, while catering to a core fanbase can sometimes lead to a toxic and entitled relationship, if they aren't pleased, it can spell trouble. As you know, when building, you need to start with the foundation.

Mortal Kombat 11 is poised to release worldwide on April 23 via the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will cost $59.99 USD.

For more news, media, and our thoughts on the fighting game, make sure to take a gander at all of our previous coverage of the title by clicking right here.