Mortal Kombat 1 Dev Chief Ed Boon Teases T-1000 Fatality and ‘Future DLC’

Mortal Kombat 1's Ed Boon Hints at Future DLC After Five Million Copies Sold

Ed Boon, the creative director behind Mortal Kombat 1, recently revealed a sneak peek of the upcoming T-1000 Terminator's Fatality on social media, simultaneously teasing future downloadable content (DLC). This announcement coincided with the release of the Conan the Barbarian guest character and the news that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, a significant jump from the previously reported four million.

Boon shared a brief video showcasing one of the T-1000's Fatalities, a nod to the iconic truck chase scene from Terminator 2. The accompanying tweet, however, sparked considerable speculation within the Mortal Kombat community: "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!"

While this statement could simply refer to the imminent arrival of the T-1000 – the final DLC character in the Khaos Reigns expansion, following Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan – many fans interpret it as a hint towards additional DLC characters beyond the current lineup. This speculation stems from ongoing questions regarding NetherRealm's plans for post-launch content and the game's sales performance.

Warner Bros. Discovery, Mortal Kombat 1's parent company, has voiced its continued confidence in the franchise. CEO David Zaslav stated in November that the company intends to significantly invest in only four game titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them. Furthermore, Ed Boon himself confirmed in September that NetherRealm had already decided on its next project three years prior, while pledging long-term support for Mortal Kombat 1.

While many anticipate NetherRealm's next title to be a third installment in the Injustice fighting game franchise, official confirmation remains elusive. The development history suggests an alternating release pattern between Mortal Kombat and Injustice games, but the release of Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023, a soft reboot, disrupted this pattern.

In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Boon offered some insight into this decision, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's transition to a newer version of the Unreal Engine (Unreal Engine 4 for Mortal Kombat 1, compared to Unreal Engine 3 for Mortal Kombat 11) as contributing factors. He explicitly confirmed that the Injustice franchise is not abandoned.

The ambiguity surrounding NetherRealm's future plans, coupled with Boon's recent cryptic tweet, fuels anticipation for further DLC announcements and leaves fans eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the Mortal Kombat and potentially, Injustice universes.