NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat 1 received its debut gameplay at the Summer Game Fest Showcase, with series co-creator Ed Boon outlining how the new Kameo Fighters work. Several classic fighters like Kano, Sonya Blade, Goro and Stryker were revealed, but others like Sub-Zero also serve as playable characters.
Does that leave much hope for fighters like Stryker to be playable? Unfortunately not. Boon spoke to Jeff Gerstmann on the latter’s podcast (transcription by EventHubs), stating, “There is an entertainment novelty of ‘Oh, it’s Stryker!’ and you’re going to see these characters, and it gets way deeper.” When Gerstmann admitted that Stryker didn’t need to be playable (despite being a fan), Boon added, “Yeah, well, not in this game.”
He also somewhat confirmed that Cassie Cage and Jacquie Briggs, part of the Kombat Kids from Mortal Kombat 10, wouldn’t be playable either. “The story kind of dictates who can be a main character. You know, we have Cassie Cage and Jacqui, the Kombat Kids. They’re not born yet.”
Finally, don’t expect to see every Kameo Fighter in Story Mode. “Some of these Kameos that we use are not in the story. It’s more of the novelty,” said Boon. It would explain why some characters, like Ferra sans Tor, are seemingly coming back (per an Amazon Italy retail leak), despite the events of Mortal Kombat 10 being retconned.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch. Check out some new raw gameplay here.