Mortal Kombat 1 Dev Chief Ed Boon Teases T-1000 Fatality and ‘Future DLC’

Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, recently offered a sneak peek at the T-1000 Terminator's upcoming Fatality via social media, alongside a tease hinting at future DLC. Coinciding with the release of the Conan the Barbarian guest character, Boon announced that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, a significant increase from the previously reported four million. The shared clip showcases a T-1000 Fatality reminiscent of the iconic Terminator 2 chase scene, featuring a crushed truck.

Boon's tweet, “With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!”, sparked much speculation within the Mortal Kombat community. While this could simply refer to the impending T-1000 release, many fans interpret it as a hint towards additional DLC characters beyond the current Khaos Reigns expansion.

The T-1000 is the final DLC character for the Khaos Reigns expansion, following Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. The question of a potential third DLC character pack or Kombat Pack 3 remains, fueled by ongoing discussion surrounding Mortal Kombat 1's sales performance.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company, has expressed continued confidence in the Mortal Kombat franchise, stating its intention to focus on only four key titles, with Mortal Kombat being one of them. Previously, Boon confirmed NetherRealm's decision on its next project three years prior, while promising continued support for Mortal Kombat 1.

Many fans anticipate a third installment in the Injustice fighting game franchise as NetherRealm's next project, although this remains unconfirmed. The Injustice series includes Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) and Injustice 2 (2017). NetherRealm’s release of Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019, followed by the Mortal Kombat 1 soft reboot in 2023, deviated from the previously observed alternating release pattern between Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles.

In a 2023 interview with IGN, Boon vaguely addressed this decision, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's transition to the Unreal Engine 4 (as opposed to Unreal Engine 3 used in Mortal Kombat 11) as contributing factors. He explicitly confirmed that the Injustice franchise remains a possibility for future development.