Mortal Kombat 1 creative director Ed Boon has shared a preview of the upcoming guest character T-1000 Terminator’s Fatality on social media, while also hinting at "future DLC" plans.
Celebrating the launch of guest fighter Conan the Barbarian, Boon announced via Twitter that Mortal Kombat 1 has surpassed five million copies sold, an increase from the previously reported four million. Boon also posted a brief clip showcasing one of the T-1000’s brutal Fatalities—a moment sure to thrill Terminator 2 fans.
The clip shows the T-1000 ramming a wrecked truck directly into his helpless opponent, recalling the famous chase sequence from Terminator 2 where the T-1000 pursues Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator and Edward Furlong’s John Connor in a similar vehicle.
(5 of 7) With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC ! pic.twitter.com/eC3Aqj5KDc
— Ed Boon (@noobde) January 21, 2025
Boon's accompanying message, however, has sparked excitement across the Mortal Kombat community: “With Conan getting into player’s hands, we are excited to keep trucking forward with future DLC!”
While the phrase "keep trucking forward with future DLC" may refer to the imminent T-1000 release, many fans speculate it could mean additional DLC characters are in the works beyond the current roster.
The T-1000 Terminator is the last DLC fighter scheduled for the brutal fighter as part of the Khaos Reigns expansion. He follows Cyrax, Sektor, Noob Saibot, Ghostface, and Conan the Barbarian. Players have long speculated whether NetherRealm Studios intends to release a third set of DLC or a Kombat Pack 3, especially given ongoing questions about Mortal Kombat 1's commercial performance.
On a positive note, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has reaffirmed its commitment to the Mortal Kombat series. In November, CEO David Zaslav stated that the company plans to focus heavily on just four core game franchises, with Mortal Kombat being one of them.
Additionally, Boon confirmed back in September that NetherRealm had decided on its next project three years earlier, but assured fans that Mortal Kombat 1 would continue to receive support "for a long time to come."
Many fans anticipate the studio will eventually release a third installment in its DC fighting series, Injustice, although neither NetherRealm nor Warner Bros. has made an official announcement. The series began with Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013, followed by Injustice 2 in 2017. NetherRealm launched Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019, and for a while it appeared the team alternated between Mortal Kombat and Injustice titles. However, they next released another Mortal Kombat game—the soft reboot Mortal Kombat 1—in 2023.
In a June 2023 interview with IGN, Boon addressed the decision in general terms. "A variety of factors influenced this—some I can explain, others I probably shouldn't," he remarked.
Two reasons Boon did mention were the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the team's transition to a newer iteration of the Unreal Engine (Mortal Kombat 11 used Unreal Engine 3, while Mortal Kombat 1 runs on Unreal Engine 4).
"We moved to a new graphics engine, Unreal," Boon explained. "We also had to prioritize safety during the COVID situation. All these factors combined led us to decide, 'Alright, let’s develop another Mortal Kombat, and hopefully return to the Injustice series later.'"
When asked directly whether the Injustice franchise had been shelved permanently, Boon was quick to respond.
"Not at all," he confirmed.
