Mortal Kombat 1 Dev Chief Ed Boon Teases T-1000 Fatality and ‘Future DLC’

Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat 1's development chief, recently shared a sneak peek of the T-1000 Terminator's upcoming Fatality on social media, simultaneously teasing "future DLC." This reveal coincided with the announcement that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, a significant jump from the previously reported four million, following the release of guest character Conan the Barbarian.

Boon tweeted a short video showcasing the T-1000's Fatality, a thrilling recreation of the iconic Terminator 2 chase scene featuring the T-1000 driving a wrecked truck into his opponent. His accompanying comment, "With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!", sparked considerable excitement within the Mortal Kombat community. While this could simply refer to the T-1000's imminent arrival, many speculate it hints at additional DLC characters beyond the current Khaos Reigns expansion.

The T-1000 is the final character in the Khaos Reigns expansion, following Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Speculation about a potential third DLC pack or Kombat Pack 3 has been fueled by Mortal Kombat 1's sales success and Warner Bros. Discovery's continued commitment to the franchise, as CEO David Zaslav stated their intention to "double down" on only four titles, including Mortal Kombat.

In September, Boon confirmed NetherRealm had already decided on its next project three years prior, while assuring continued support for Mortal Kombat 1 "for a long time to come." Many anticipate this next project to be a third installment in the Injustice fighting game franchise, although this remains unconfirmed by NetherRealm or Warner Bros. The Injustice series previously saw releases in 2013 (Injustice: Gods Among Us) and 2017 (Injustice 2). NetherRealm's decision to release another Mortal Kombat title (Mortal Kombat 1) in 2023, rather than alternating between the two franchises as previously seemed to be the pattern, was explained by Boon in a June 2023 interview with IGN. He cited the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to a newer Unreal Engine (Unreal Engine 4 for Mortal Kombat 1, compared to Unreal Engine 3 for Mortal Kombat 11) as contributing factors. Boon explicitly confirmed that the Injustice franchise remains a possibility.