Mortal Kombat 1 developer NetherRealm has released the first gameplay for DLC guest character the T-1000 and confirmed Madam Bo as a DLC Kameo fighter.
The T-1000 gameplay shows off a number of attacks that rekindle memories of Terminator 2, including the T-1000’s blade and hook arms. The character’s attacks look a bit like those belonging to Baraka and Kabal. At one point we see the T-1000 turn into a liquid metal blob before rising from the ground in an uppercut reminiscent of attacks by Killer Instinct’s Glacius.
Mortal Kombat 1’s T-1000 features the voice and likeness of actor Robert Patrick, who famously played the character in the 1991 film. This teaser reveals Patrick’s voice work for the first time in a clash with Johnny Cage. It ends with a longer look at one of the T-1000’s Fatalities, which recreates the iconic chase scene in Terminator 2 where the T-1000 drives a truck in pursuit of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator and Edward Furlong’s John Connor. In the Fatality, the T-1000 blobs out of the driver’s seat to pump the hapless Cage full of lead.
Meanwhile, NetherRealm made the surprise announcement that Madam Bo is set to hit Mortal Kombat 1 as a DLC Kameo fighter at the same time as the T-1000. Madam Bo is a fan-favorite character from the base Mortal Kombat 1 story, an elderly restaurant owner who fends off Smoke and his goons before Raiden and Kung Lao get stuck in.
We see Madam Bo gameplay briefly in the teaser, first in a glimpse and you’ll miss it frame as the T-1000 and Johnny Clash pre-game, then when the T-1000 calls in Madam Bo for an assist.
The T-1000 is available in Mortal Kombat 1 starting March 18 as part of the early access period for Khaos Reigns owners, followed by wide availability for purchase on March 25. Madam Bo is available on March 18 as a free content update for Khaos Reigns owners or as a standalone purchase.
T-1000 is the final DLC character set to be added to the gory fighting game as part of the Khaos Reigns expansion, and follows playable fighters Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Fans have wondered for some time now whether developer NetherRealm plans a third set of DLC characters, or a Kombat Pack 3, amid questions about Mortal Kombat 1’s sales success.
Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has indicated, however, that it still believes in the Mortal Kombat franchise. In November, CEO David Zaslav said that on the games side of things, the company plans to double down on just four titles, one of which is Mortal Kombat.
In September, Mortal Kombat development chief Ed Boon said NetherRealm had decided on its next game three years prior, but promised to support Mortal Kombat 1 “for a long time to come.”
Most fans of the studio’s work expect it to release a third game in its DC fighting game franchise, Injustice, although neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has yet to confirm that. The first game in the series, Injustice: Gods Among Us, launched in 2013, with its sequel, Injustice 2, coming out in 2017. NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and for a time it seemed like the studio would alternate between Mortal Kombat and Injustice games, but it went on to release another Mortal Kombat, the soft reboot that is Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023 instead.
In an interview with IGN in June 2023, Boon spoke in vague terms about this decision. “There were a number of factors, some of which I can talk about, some of which I probably shouldn’t,” Boon said.
Two reasons Boon was willing to discuss were the unfortunate onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the team’s choice to switch to a newer version of the Unreal game engine (Mortal Kombat 11 runs on Unreal Engine 3, whereas Mortal Kombat 1 runs on Unreal Engine 4).
“But we did go to a new graphics engine, Unreal,” Boon said. “We really wanted to be careful with COVID and all that stuff and everybody staying safe. So there were a bunch of variables involved that eventually we realized, ‘Okay, let’s do another Mortal Kombat game and hopefully we’ll get back to the Injustice games.’ “
Just to be sure, we wanted to confirm with him directly that the door was not closed on the Injustice franchise.
“Not at all,” Boon answered.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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