NetherRealm's Ed Boon discusses Mortal Kombat 1 name

NetherRealm CCO Ed Boon has explained why the recently announced Mortal Kombat 1 has that name.

The most recent numbered game in the series was Mortal Kombat 11, so some fans are confused by the return to Mortal Kombat 1.

While this new game is a reboot of the series, it's not a remake of the 1992 original.

Mortal Kombat 1 - Official Announcement Trailer

"Mortal Kombat 1 is the beginning of a universe," said Boon in a Kommunity Chat after the game's reveal (spotted by PCGamesN).

"It is not a continuation of the Mortal Kombat 11 story so the characters have completely different roles in this new timeline and we really wanted to punctuate that with our title.

"So this is Mortal Kombat 1, it is a brand new beginning, you're going to be seeing these characters reintroduced in their new roles, with new relationships with each other, and that's the main catalyst for calling it Mortal Kombat 1."

Boon also discussed the game's cover art which features Liu Kang to represent the new storyline - this game takes place in a "reborn" universe created by the Fire God. While Scorpion and Sub-Zero have "always been the poster child of Mortal Kombat", the change to Liu Kang punctuates the change in direction for this game.

The game was revealed last week with a particularly gory trailer, as you'd expect (check it out above).

It's set for release on 19th September 2023 across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.

Amazon has already leaked the first round of DLC characters.

Watch the full interview with Ed Boon below.

Kommunity Chat with Tyler and Ed