Mortal Kombat 1 was just announced in an explosive story trailer that reveals Fire God Liu Kang as the ultimate protector of Earthrealm. But the sorcerer Shang Tsung somehow survived being erased from time at the end of Mortal Kombat 11 and has returned for the souls of Earth's greatest warriors. In true Mortal Kombat fashion, MK1's introductory trailer was a bloody affair, but it has fans wondering what the game itself will actually look like.
We won't have to wait too long to find out. Summer Games Fest will host the premiere of Mortal Kombat 1's gameplay on Thursday, June 8.
Summer Games Fest organizer and Game Awards host Geoff Keighley made the announcement on Twitter earlier today, promising Ed Boon will join him on stage live to show off in-engine gameplay footage during the event.
Ed Boon has promised a new fighting system and game modes will be present in MK1, although we have very little additional information on just what these might entail. Thanks to the game's Steam listing, we do know that the game will require 100 GB of storage on PC, making it easily the largest Mortal Kombat game ever made in terms of memory requirements.
We also know that Mortal Kombat 1 will feature Kameo fighters, an assist-character mechanic that will allow players to choose from a roster of non-playable fighters to assist them during fights. One leak already points to Tremor, Mavado, Ferra, Khameleon, and Jonny Cage as the first five Kameo fighters to arrive as part of MK1's starting Kombat Pack, with Quan Chi, Omni Man, Ermac, Peacemaker, Takeda, and Homelander listed as playable characters. Another leak suggested Megan Fox and Travis Scott will be in the game as reskins of existing Mortal Kombat characters. Keep in mind that NetherRealm studios has said nothing official regarding DLC characters except to confirm Johnny Cage will be part of MK1's first Kombat Pack in some capacity.
Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on September 19, but fans looking to get caught up on Mortal Kombat's story can grab Mortal Kombat 11 for a massive 90 percent discount on Steam. This sale and the associated hype surrounding MK1 perhaps explains Mortal Kombat 11's popularity, which spiked to a recent high of over 10,000 concurrent players on PC. That's still not quite enough to dethrone the game's 2019 peak player count, but it's a good sign for Mortal Kombat 1.