It would appear that Warner Bros. provided content creators with the opportunity to fly out to NetherRealm Studios headquarters and check out the complete build of Mortal Kombat 1 that's scheduled to release on September 14, 2023 for Premium Edition or Kollector's Edition owners, as well as September 19, 2023 for Standard Edition owners.
One of the content creators presented with this opportunity was Rooflemonger. It seems that Rooflemonger was permitted to record the prologue and first chapter of Mortal Kombat 1's main story mode.
Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023 is already underway. Just as Ed Boon had said, two characters were revealed to be part of the playable roster while two others have joined as Kameos.
During the trailer that debuted, General Shao and Sindel were unveiled to be the playable characters that Boon promised. Additionally, the two Kameos ended up being Motaro and Shujinko.
Gamescom 2023 is starting this week. While the event doesn't technically begin until tomorrow on August 23, an "Opening Night Live" stream is scheduled to kick things off at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET.
There's already been confirmation that a new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 will make its debut today. As such, this trailer will be presented by the co-creator of the Mortal Kombat series himself, Ed Boon.
Update: Voting has come to an end on our polls, so you can check out the final results for whether the community would like to see and would potentially use a violence toggle in Mortal Kombat below.
For over 30 years now, Mortal Kombat has reveled in the blood, guts and death that only this series can provide although not everyone wants to see all of that all the time.
The discussion surrounding the next-level violence in Mortal Kombat 1 has been going on since it was first announced, but has recently stepped up over discourse about whether the game should feature a toggle option to tone down the gore.
Last week, it was revealed by Geoff Keighley that there would be a new Mortal Kombat 1 trailer at Gamescom 2023 on August 22, 2023. It was stated that Ed Boon himself would be there to present the trailer.
Recently, Boon declared outright what type of reveals fans should be expecting at the big event tomorrow. The trailer will reveal two more fighters and two more Kameos.
The Mortal Kombat 1 -Pre-Order Beta has been happening over this past weekend. Along with Liu Kang, Sub-Zero, Kenshi, and Kitana from the Stress Test build, players have been granted the opportunity to play as Johnny Cage and Li Mei.
Like all characters in Mortal Kombat 1, Johnny Cage gains access to a Fatal Blow once his life bar falls to a certain point. However, Johnny Cage's Fatal Blow has some unique properties compared to the rest of the roster's Fatal Blows.
Mortal Kombat 1 is making some rather extreme changes to the story due to how the timeline was reset by Liu Kang at the end of Mortal Kombat 11. For example, Bi-Han has (thus far) retained the title of Sub-Zero while Kuai Liang is now Scorpion.
Johnny Cage and Li Mei have joined the pre-release build of Mortal Kombat 1 with the beta that's happening this weekend. This means that we now have new intro dialogues involving these characters.
Johnny Cage has lost ability to throw projectiles during the transition from Mortal Kombat 11 to Mortal Kombat 1. In return, he gained access to the Hype Meter. Upon filling up the Hype Meter, Johnny Cage temporarily gains the ability to cancel specials into specials. He can even use an enhanced special without spending any meter.
As one might expect, Johnny Cage's Hype Meter gives him the ability to deal a ton of damage under the right circumstances. A clip uploaded by Yardy really demonstrates just how insane Johnny Cage is in the Mortal Kombat 1 Beta thanks to his Hype Meter.
Updated on August 18, 2023: Move listings for Li Mei and Johnny Cage have been added to our story.
Fans will be seeing another chance to try out Mortal Kombat 1 ahead of its September release this weekend with the launch of the game's first online beta test. Last time, NetherRealm Studios ran a closed network test that allowed only those who were selected the chance to hop in and test out MK1.
This weekend, however, the beta test will be accessible to anyone who pre-orders the game on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, meaning we'll see plenty more people getting their first crack at Mortal Kombat 1. With that in mind, let's have a look at the move listings for the four returning characters set to be a part of the Mortal Kombat 1 pre-order beta test.
Updated on August 18, 2023: Frost's moves and Fatality have been added to this guide. We have also updated the list of currently announced Kameo Fighters.
Mortal Kombat 1 introduces a new mechanic to its combat system that sees support characters join in on the battle. Kameo Fighters are selectable assists that you choose alongside your main point character, and once a match begins they can be called in to perform various attacks and help you secure the win.
Each Kameo Fighter comes equipped with several maneuvers that they can perform, and this includes Fatalities. This Mortal Kombat 1 Kameo Fighters moves and Fatalities guide will tell you which characters are available as Kameos, what moves they possess, how they work, and how to perform them all.
Mortal Kombat 1's first beta test is going live tomorrow, and those who pre-ordered the game on PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S will be given the opportunity to try the game out ahead of its September launch date. NetherRealm Studios is adding a little bit more to this playable build of the game this time around, so those who got into the closed network test will noticed a few additional fighters that they haven't gotten to play just yet.
Among the new characters you'll be able to play as in the Mortal Kombat 1 beta is Li Mei, who makes her return from her last playable appearance in 2006's Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. We haven't seen much in the way of gameplay breakdowns for this fighter just yet, but as a means of preparing you for this weekend's beta, PND Ketchup has just released a Mortal Kombat 1 Li Mei primer that you'll definitely want to see before you jump into the MK1 action.
Geoff Keighley has announced on Twitter that Mortal Kombat 1 will make a special appearance at Gamescom's opening night on August 22, 2023. Ed Boon himself will appear on stage to present a new trailer for Mortal Kombat 1.
This event will be streamed on the official Gamescom website at 11:00 a.m. PT and 2:00 p.m. ET. More than likely, we can expect the next set of Mortal Kombat 1 characters to be revealed during this trailer.
Update: Reports are beginning to surface that codes are now redeemable 30 minutes after the scheduled time if the game was pre-ordered digitally. If your Mortal Kombat 1 Beta code didn't work, it's recommended that you try again now.
According to WB Games Support, Mortal Kombat 1 Beta codes for the Xbox Series console are taking longer to prepare compared to the PlayStation 5 version of the beta.
NetherRealm's storytelling methods throughout the Mortal Kombat series has remained relatively the same since Mortal Kombat 9. Aside from a few exceptions, every chapter is played through the perspective of a specific character. During each of these chapters, a character will usually defeat about four opponents without losing any fights.
As such, it's pretty typical for characters without chapters within the story to effectively lose every relevant fight that they're involved in. Though it might not be intentional on the part of NetherRealm Studios, this means that fighters like Baraka and Reptile have traditionally had a very poor track record.
I played a lot of Mortal Kombat Trilogy on my Nintendo 64 back in the day, and while there are plenty of stand out fatalities from the MK3 era, I vividly remember being particularly impressed by Sektor's "Compactor" kill move.
Though it did use stock body parts animations common to many fatalities, the blood animation was noticeably different than anything else in the game. It was clever, well executed, and stood out, and it has returned some 28 years later as NetherRealm Studios developers revealed that the red cyborg has the same ender in Mortal Kombat 1... albeit this time with even more blood and gore.
Update: The Kombat Kast stream is now live.
It's that time once again for new Mortal Kombat 1 information and gameplay. The Kombat Kast returns today with another broadcast slated to showcase more of the upcoming title before its official launch.
The central focus of this live stream will be character breakdowns for some of the newest contenders that we haven't seen much of just yet. If you're a fan of Smoke, Geras, or Ashrah (or all three), you'll definitely want to tune into this one.
Updated on August 11, 2023: Another exclusive Mortal Kombat 1 skin has been revealed, this time for Tanya. She will be receiving a special Brazil skin that will be given to those who purchase physical copies of the game or pre-order digitally on PlayStation 5 in Brazil. You can view the tweet from the official Warner Play Twitter account and the new costume below.
Earlier: Juicy new Mortal Kombat 1 news has leaked as mentions on social media claim that the Warner Bros. Brazil Facebook page posted some content just a tad early.