Mortal Kombat 1 Should Receive Longer Post-Launch Support Than Mortal Kombat 11 (Exclusive)

Longtime Mortal Kombat director Ed Boon has indicated that NetherRealm Studios plans to support Mortal Kombat 1 with new content and updates for a more extended period of time compared to Mortal Kombat 11. Following its launch in 2019, NetherRealm continued to release new characters and a sizable expansion (titled Aftermath) to MK11 before eventually wrapping up this ongoing development in 2021. With MK1 now on the horizon, Boon has indicated that those at NetherRealm are already planning to support the game well into 2025 or beyond. 

During a conversation at San Diego Comic-Con with ComicBook.com, we asked Boon about how long fans can expect to see Mortal Kombat 1 updated once it hits store shelves in September. Boon said that at a minimum, NetherRealm is anticipating two years of post-release support in the same way that it did with Mortal Kombat 11. In all likelihood, though, MK1 should receive new content drops for an even longer period of time, although no specific timetables have yet been laid out. 

“I think that’s the minimum we’ll be doing,” Boon said of the idea of continuing to work on Mortal Kombat 1 for a period of two years. “I think we’ll be supporting this game at least as long as [Mortal Kombat 11]. I would suspect even longer, but a lot of the fun of releasing additional characters after we launched the game is seeing the relationships.”

Speaking more to those additional characters, NetherRealm recently confirmed the full lineup for its Kombat Pack DLC in Mortal Kombat 1 while at SDCC. In total, six fighters will be featured in this add-on and include Takeda, Ermac, Quan Chi, Omni Man, Peacemaker, and Homelander. NetherRealm still hasn’t provided a defined release window for when this DLC will arrive, but we should begin to learn more in the weeks and months ahead. 

As for the base game, Mortal Kombat 1 is poised to launch in a little under two months on September 19, 2023. The game will be releasing across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC and will also be playable in a closed beta at an undetermined time in August. Until that time, be sure to stay tuned to our ongoing coverage of all things related to MK1 here on ComicBook.com.