First gameplay footage of Jean-Claude Van Damme skin for Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1 revealed
NetherRealm Studios is just full of surprises this week. After releasing the official announcement for Nitara in Mortal Kombat 1 — who is being voiced and portrayed by famous actress Megan Fox — just earlier today we learned that the head honcho himself, Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, did an episode of Hot Ones.
Even more surprising is that this episode of Hot Ones also featured our first gameplay glimpse at the special Jean-Claude Van Damme skin for Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat 1. Boon also provided some details about this skin during his Hot Ones interview as well.
As we know, Mortal Kombat 1 will feature a special alternate skin for Johnny Cage that transforms him into legendary martial artist and action film star Jean-Claude Van Damme. This skin will be included in the game's first Kombat Pass — the DLC bundle pack that adds six additional playable characters and five new Kameo Fighters.
The official description of this Johnny Cage skin reads as follows: "The Kombat Pack will feature a Johnny Cage character skin with the likeness of famed actor and martial artist, Jean-Claude Van Damme (available at launch)."
On the episode of Hot Ones, Ed Boon talked more about how the Van Damme skin came into existence. Those who know the history of Mortal Kombat know that the developers have wanted Van Damme in their fighting game from the very beginning, so this skin is very much a significant milestone for the crew.
"When we made the very first game, our original intention was to make 'Van Damme The Arcade Game,'" Boon began. "So we called his people and we were like, 'we want to make a game based on Van Damme,' and I don't know if he declined or it just never got to him.
"Again, this is a couple of 20-year-old kids wanting to make a video game. I can see how Van Damme would go, 'No. We're not doing this,'" Boon concluded.
Boon explains that the team behind Mortal Kombat tried numerous times to get Van Damme into the game over the years, but this time they "hit the lottery" with Mortal Kombat 1 and they got him.
"We actually have his voice, and he's going to be the Johnny Cage character," Boon said. "It is the absolute full circle moment that we had."
About 5:51 seconds into the Hot Ones episode, we see a few quick moments of gameplay featuring the Johnny Cage Van Damme skin. A quick fight intro plays out with Johnny and Sonya as Van Damme does the middle finger greeting to his opponents.
Though it's not much, this glimpse does give us a good look at what this special skin will actually look like in-game. Unsurprisingly, from what we can see it looks great.
Click images for larger versions
first footage of jean claude van damme m1k johnny cage skin dropped on hot ones https://t.co/wljYLLDeZe pic.twitter.com/q6dxjKV3Tm
— Murdoink (@Murdoink) September 7, 2023
If you're looking to get the Kombat Pass and the Van Damme skin, you can do so by purchasing the Premium Edition of Mortal Kombat 1. It will run you $109.99 USD and comes with the base game, the Kombat Pass, the Van Damme skin, early access to Mortal Kombat 1, and 1 week early access to DLC characters.
Mortal Kombat 1 is due out on September 19. It will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
