Summary
This article contains spoilers forMortal Kombat 1On September 14,Mortal Kombat 1will be released for Premium Edition owners. The full release won’t be until five days later, marking the complete launch forMortal Kombatfans everywhere. It should be a big moment for the series, asMortal Kombat 1brings the old franchise into a new timeline rebuilt by Fire God Liu Kang. Everything old should feel new again, even if many characters, mechanics, locations, and story beats will return.
Unfortunately, a slight damper has been put on the celebrations. While most of the content pertaining toMortal Kombat 1’s regular fighting gameplay has been announced, leaked copies ofMK1’s Nintendo Switch porthave brought fresh revelations to the table. NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive have their hands full striking down images and videos containing unreleased content, though discussing which of the older leaks have been confirmed is safe for those willing to brave spoilers. However, in spite of it all, the ever-secretiveMortal Kombatfranchise may still have the last laugh.
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All Fighters Revealed In Mortal Kombat 1
A textual list accurately predictingMortal Kombat 1’s launch rosterhas been online for a while, competing with similar lists as characters were gradually revealed. Now,Mortal Kombat 1’s Switch leak has produced screenshots confirming what the roster really looks like. Despite reflecting on the old list, it didn’t take long before attentive fans realized that something was off about the complete character select screen.
Reiko is the only character who has yet to be announced, though some footage with him alongside Motaro surfaced months ago.Shang Tsung reprisesMKXGoro andMK11Shao Kahn’splace as the legacyMKvillain locked behind pre-order DLC, and Havik will probably also recallMK9Cyber Sub-Zero andMK11Frost’s role as combatants unlocked partway through the story mode. Then there’s the empty 24th slot, which could be mistaken as a random selection option if that wasn’t already assigned to a controller input. In a July interview,MK1’s story director Dominic Cianciolo confirmed there would be 24 characters at release, likely including Shang Tsung, so this last slot is an enigma.
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Every Potential MK1 Kombat Pack Character So Far
That number doesn’t include the Kombat Pack fighters coming afterMK1’s launch, with six announced playable characters, the Jean-Claude Van Damme Johnny Cage skin, and Amazon Italy’s leaked set of Kameo Fighters.
There were also leaks for a second Kombat Pack, though they are more suspect due to coming from an anonymous source.
Older leaked character lists proving true demands that any leak forMK1be treated seriously, though thefirst-party nature of a guest like the Doomslayermuddies the issue here. It also doesn’t account for rumors of guest Kameo Fighters, even though this set sounds like what NetherRealm Studios is going for with the concept.
All Kameo Fighters In Mortal Kombat 1
Fans also got a look at the Kameo Fighters and stages as part of the Switch leak, and neither one is complete. Sources vary on whether one or two stages are missing, but it seems like there are 20 in total with variations at different times of the day. Meanwhile,MK1has 16 Kameo Fighters, though by this point all the ones displayed have already been seen in trailers.
Goro is the only Kameo Fighter that may catch some fans off guard, as he has made scarce appearances in trailers. The largest revelation from the leak is the confirmedsize ofMK1’s Kameo Fighter rosteritself, alongside the fact that several of them will initially be locked. But once again, there is a mystery slot resembling the one on the playable roster. These do not appear to have any relation to the Kombat Packs, leavingMortal Kombat’s community baffled over this mystery. However, further leaks may offer an answer.
Who Are Mortal Kombat 1’s Final Characters?
By all accounts,Mortal Kombat 1should have 24 characters and 16 Kameo Fighters at launch, unlockables and pre-order bonuses included, but no firm details exist on what the final character slots are. This may be the result of NetherRealm Studios' decision to defyMortal Kombat 1’s long history of leaksby scrubbing the final character from pre-release versions of the game. What this means isn’t entirely clear, but apparently a sizable chunk ofMortal Kombat 1, including the story mode’s ending and several Fatalities, are planned to be inserted in a day-one patch.
If true, this means thatMortal Kombat 1will receive one more round of leaks once the patch is available, but staggering the information like this was still a brilliant move. In the meantime, speculation for the final characters has been running rampant, with ideas ranging from Kronika’s playable debut toDragon King Onaga’s return, to Jade being present after all, and even to a character portrayed by Travis Scott. No one knows what to make ofMK1’s roster, but it does mean thatMortal Kombat’s history of secrets is still going strong. Fans can enjoy discovering them together onceMortal Kombat 1has launched.
Mortal Kombat 1will be released on September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X/S.
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