NetherRealm Studios is preparing Mortal Kombat 1, the latest title in the storied fighting game franchise, but also a clean slate from a story-telling perspective. With director and studio chief creative officer Ed Boon working on fighting games for so long, is there a fear of burnout?
IGN spoke to Boon and asked if there was a desire to do something different with Mortal Kombat or other franchises. He responded, “To the second question: I absolutely have a desire to do something different. Surprisingly, I don’t feel burnout because we’ve been trying new stuff with each game. Sometimes it’s something as minor as a side game of Puzzle Kombat, Konquest, all these kinds of modes and now, Invasions.
“So those game features and modes, I think, for our studio, keep things kind of fresh while we still do the core mechanic of a fighting game in online, single-player story, all that stuff.”
Mortal Kombat 1 is a reboot for the franchise, with Fire God Liu Kang resetting everything after the outcome of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath. As a result, Kitana and Mileena get along (somewhat), Scorpion is now Kuai Liang, younger brother to Bi-Han or Sub-Zero, and Shao Kahn is still just General Shao.
Along with a new story, there’s also Invasions, where players battle invaders from other worlds, navigating board game-style layout with RPG elements (and mini-games, like the return of Arcade Towers). Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Head here for more details.