Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, Ed Boon, has taken to social media to share a sneak peek of the upcoming guest character T-1000 Terminator's Fatality, while also hinting at "future DLC." This announcement came alongside the release of another guest character, Conan the Barbarian, which Boon used as an opportunity to reveal that Mortal Kombat 1 has now sold over five million copies, up from the previously reported four million.
Boon shared a short clip on Twitter showcasing one of T-1000's Fatalities, which is sure to resonate with fans of Terminator 2. The clip features the T-1000 driving a smashed-up truck into his opponent, reminiscent of the iconic chase scene in the film where the T-1000 pursues Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator and Edward Furlong's John Connor.
In his tweet, Boon teased the community by saying, "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!" This statement has sparked speculation among fans about the possibility of more DLC characters beyond the current set, especially given that T-1000 Terminator is the final character scheduled for the Khaos Reigns expansion. This expansion has already introduced playable fighters such as Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian.
Amidst discussions about the game's sales performance and future content, there has been ongoing speculation about whether NetherRealm Studios plans to release a third set of DLC characters, or a Kombat Pack 3. Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company, has expressed continued support for the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated that the company intends to focus heavily on just four titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them.
Ed Boon has also reassured fans about the longevity of Mortal Kombat 1's support. In September, he mentioned that NetherRealm had chosen its next project three years prior but promised to keep supporting Mortal Kombat 1 "for a long time to come." Although there has been speculation that NetherRealm's next project might be a third installment in the Injustice series, neither the studio nor Warner Bros. has confirmed this. The Injustice series, which started with Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013 and continued with Injustice 2 in 2017, seemed to follow an alternating pattern with Mortal Kombat games until the release of Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and the soft reboot, Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023.
In an interview with IGN in June 2023, Boon discussed the decision to focus on another Mortal Kombat game instead of an Injustice title, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch to a newer version of the Unreal game engine as key factors. Mortal Kombat 11 was built on Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 uses Unreal Engine 4. Boon emphasized the importance of safety during the development process and expressed hope to return to the Injustice series in the future. When directly asked about the future of the Injustice franchise, Boon firmly stated, "Not at all," indicating that the door is still open for more Injustice games.
