Only a few days ago, NetherRealm Studios unveiledMortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, a new version ofMortal Kombat 11that includes the base game, Kombat Pack 1, Aftermath, and the new Kombat Pack 2. This new Kombat Pack adds three brand new characters to the roster:Rain, Mileena, and Rambo, along with new skins for various existing characters.
This news comes only a few weeks after game director Ed Boon began teasing players thatMortal Kombat 11DLC was incoming. These tweets seemed to beconstantly hinting at the purple ninja, Rain, with some of the hints being references to the late artist Prince and his hit song, “Purple Rain.” Combine this with many leaks from reliable sources in theMortal Kombatcommunity, and fans seemed to be on the edge of their seats in anticipation.
One data mine in particular hinted at 19 characters still coming to the game post-Aftermath, and while that cannot be ruled out, many were initial skeptical. It seems to be for good reason, however, as while the eventual announcement seemed exciting for most fans of the classic fighting game franchise, this seems to imply disappointing news for others.
RELATED:Mortal Kombat 11 Next-Gen Features and Free Upgrade Confirmed
Mortal Kombat 11 DLC Characters
With a name likeMortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, there seems to be a certain implication for what kind of package this is. Ultimate is usually a term used in a fighting game to indicate that players have received the final iteration of the game and that no further content will be coming. This likely means that the rumored DLC characters ofAsh Williams, Takeda, Harley Quinn, Smoke, Michael Myers, and Sektorwill never come to be.
Perhaps the most glaring omission of these characters is Ash Williams fromThe Evil Dead. While a guest character may seem out of the ordinary when it comes to non-inclusion within a fighting game, Ash has been rumored as a DLC character as early as launch when his character data was found in a datamine of the Switch version. Since then, Ash has been the character that players have likely wondered about the most, with many indications and leaks that NetherRealm was still planning on bringing him to the game. However, withMortal Kombat 11 Ultimatebeing the definitive edition of the game,Bruce Campbell’s famous role is likely shelved for good.
By the timeMortal Kombat 11 Ultimatereleases on November 17,Mortal Kombat 11will be only a few short months before its second anniversary. And while the trend over the past few years for fighting game developers is to support their games for many years, NetherRealm Studios will likely useMortal Kombat 11 Ultimateas an opportunity to close the door on the fighter, shifting focus towards its next project, whether that’sInjusticeor something new.
There is, however, a recent fighting game trend where developers continue to add content to the definitive edition of their games. For example, Capcom decided abruptly toadd four new DLC characters toStreet Fighter 5, despite having released theChampionship Editionin early March 2020. Players initially viewed theChampionship Editionas Capcom’s farewell toStreet Fighter 5as it began preparations for the next entry in the historic fighting franchise, yet that seems to no longer be the case.
Ultimately, it seems that only time will tell if NetherRealm Studios will continue to add toMortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. While it seems like many questions and possible character additions are still up in the air, it might be better to assume that this edition of the game will finish whatMortal Kombat 11has to offer players. That way if more content is added later on down the road, it will be seen as a pleasant surprise.
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimatewill release on November 17 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Mortal Kombat 11’s Rambo Fits Into The Game Better Than You Think
