Mortal Kombat 1 Ends DLC, Next Game in Works

Warner Bros. has officially announced that Mortal Kombat 1 will receive no additional DLC characters or story expansions following the launch of the Definitive Edition, confirming longtime player concerns.

Despite selling 5 million units and contributing to the franchise's milestone of 100 million total sales, Mortal Kombat 1 has fallen short of its predecessor's performance. Mortal Kombat 11 surpassed 15 million global sales, becoming the series' best-selling installment after overtaking Mortal Kombat X's 11 million units.

The Mortal Kombat social media account acknowledged fan disappointment in a statement: "While we'll continue balance updates and fixes, our NetherRealm team must now focus fully on our next project to deliver the best possible experience."

While Warner Bros. didn't specify the new project, industry speculation strongly suggests Injustice 3, continuing NetherRealm's DC Comics fighting series.

The complete statement reads:

We've heard player requests for ongoing Mortal Kombat 1 support. While we'll maintain balance adjustments and technical fixes, no further DLC characters or story content will be developed at this stage.

We recognize this decision may disappoint our community, but redirecting NetherRealm's resources to our upcoming project is necessary to achieve our quality standards.

The March 2025 T-1000 guest character release stands as Mortal Kombat 1's final major content update, arriving eighteen months post-launch. This mirrors NetherRealm's previous development cycle when Mortal Kombat 11's support concluded after 27 months as the studio pivoted to Mortal Kombat 1.

Players have highlighted NetherRealm creative director Ed Boon's September 2024 reassurance tweet stating: "NetherRealm remains fully committed to long-term Mortal Kombat 1 support" - now seeming contradictory to Warner Bros.' announcement.

What's Next for NetherRealm Studios?

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January's Floyd secret character event briefly revitalized player engagement, realizing Boon's years-long tease of a pink ninja fighter. However, this temporary highlight couldn't offset many longtime fans' overall dissatisfaction with Mortal Kombat 1's limited lifespan.

Warner Bros. Discovery executives reaffirmed Mortal Kombat's importance in November, naming it one of four core gaming franchises for future investment. The live-action Mortal Kombat 2 film remains scheduled for release this year.