Mortal Kombat 1 Ends DLC, Studio Moves On

Warner Bros. has officially confirmed what Mortal Kombat 1 players have long suspected following the recent Definitive Edition launch: no further DLC characters or story content will be released for the game.

Despite selling a respectable 5 million copies and contributing to the franchise reaching a milestone of 100 million units, Mortal Kombat 1 has fallen short of its predecessors' performance. Mortal Kombat 11 set a new series record, surpassing Mortal Kombat X's initial 11 million sales shortly after launch and eventually exceeding 15 million copies worldwide by 2022. By comparison, Mortal Kombat 1 has underperformed.

In a social media post, Warner Bros. acknowledged fan disappointment, stating, "but our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can.”

Warner Bros. did not specify what this new project entails, though widespread industry speculation suggests it is Injustice 3, the next installment in NetherRealm's popular DC Comics fighting series.

The full statement reads:

We are hearing players’ requests for continued game support of Mortal Kombat 1, and, while we will continue to support Mortal Kombat 1 through balance adjustments and fixes, there will not be additional DLC characters or story chapters released from this point on.

We understand this will be disappointing for fans, but our team at NetherRealm needs to shift focus to the next project in order to make it as great as we possibly can.

The release of the T-1000 guest character in March 2025, arriving over a year and a half after the game's initial launch, now stands as Mortal Kombat 1's final major content update. For perspective, NetherRealm announced the end of Mortal Kombat 11 DLC in July 2021 to focus on its next title (which became Mortal Kombat 1), two years and three months after that game's release. The current announcement arrives just one year and eight months after Mortal Kombat 1 debuted.

The decision has led players to revisit past statements from NetherRealm's Chief Creative Officer, Ed Boon, who had previously promised long-term support for the game. Notably, many are citing a September 2024 tweet from Boon, in which he sought to reassure concerned fans by asserting, “NetherRealm is still fully committed to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a long time to come.”

What Will Be NetherRealm Studios' Next Game?

Mortal Kombat 2Injustice 3Something else (let us know what in the comments)

AnswerSee Results

Mortal Kombat 1 experienced a brief resurgence in January with the secret "Floyd" fight, a pink ninja character Boon had hinted at for years. This event ignited a fun, community-wide hunt that temporarily revitalized the game. However, this proved to be a rare highlight in what many dedicated fans view as a generally disappointing release cycle.

Looking ahead, what is the future for Mortal Kombat? Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has signaled continued faith in the brutal fighting franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated the company's games strategy would center on four core franchises, one of which was explicitly named as Mortal Kombat. A film adaptation, Mortal Kombat 2, is scheduled for release later this year.