Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Shutting Down Barely 1 Year After Release

Mortal Kombat: Onslaught was just released in October 2023, but support is already coming to an end. The game’s developers have confirmed that it will be shut down in October, and will no longer be available for download starting on July 22nd. Anyone that wants to give the game a try before the end now has very limited time to do just that, so hardcore Mortal Kombat fans will want to download the game on the App Store or Google Play quickly, if they haven’t done so already. Ahead of the store removal, the game’s official X/Twitter account revealed a handful of dates players should keep in mind. 

“Mortal Kombat: Onslaught will shut down on 10/21/24. The game will be removed from the App Store and Google Play on 7/22/24, with in-game purchases disabled on 8/23/24. Players can enjoy the game until 10/21/24. It has been an honor creating this game for our Kommunity.”

The announcement was met with a lot of frustration from Mortal Kombat fans. Some people were clearly enjoying Onslaught, and were hoping to see it supported with additional content. Others noted that this is one of the real and frustrating things about digital media, in that it often ceases to exist, offering no way for players to revisit something that they previously enjoyed. Sadly, this is often the case with mobile games, and even those based on popular, long lasting franchises are not immune; Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier also lasted just a year before getting shut down. At this time, it’s unclear if the fate of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught has anything to do with the recent layoffs at NetherRealm, but if the game was struggling to find an audience, it could have been an effort to cut costs at the company. 

There are still a lot of unanswered questions that fans have about the shutdown of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught. One of the biggest is how NetherRealm will handle the Sub-Zero announcer voice. The announcer voice was a bonus in Mortal Kombat 1 for players that linked their WB Games account with Mortal Kombat: Onslaught and reached level 20. With the game being shut down, that will essentially become lost content, unless NetherRealm comes up with a workaround. It’s possible we could see that content released as free DLC to all Mortal Kombat 1 players, or incorporated into the next Kombat Pack, but until we get an official announcement, the mobile game is the only way that can be unlocked. 

Are you disappointed that Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is already shutting down? Were you enjoying the mobile game? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!