Publisher WB Games and developer NetherRealm have found themselves in hot water with Mortal Kombat 1 fans over a paid Halloween-themed Fatality.
Fatalities are the showy animations that play out at the end of a match in Mortal Kombat, flaunting the powers or skills of the particular Kombatant with very gory flair.
Earlier this week, a Mortal Kombat 1 update rolled out – version 0.134 – and there was a mention of a “Halloween Fatality added to the Premium Store” along with the other changes to the game.
Hi, thanks for this question about MK1! The Halloween Fatality will be featured in the Premium Shop at a later date, we expect this to be Friday (10/27). Please keep an eye on official Mortal Kombat social media for any news on this topic!
— WB Games Support (@WBGamesSupport) October 24, 2023
Publisher WB Games affirmed the addition in a post to X after a fan asked how they would be able to unlock the Fatality: “The Halloween Fatality will be featured in the Premium Shop at a later date, we expect this to be Friday (10/27).”
The Fatality involves the winning character slamming a rotten, insect-infested jack o’lantern onto the head of the losing character. The losing character falls to their knees, and the winning character kicks their head and pumpkin so hard that both fly through the air, onto a front door, and land on the porch.
Fans have shared their surprise at the arrival of a paid Fatality, as the game itself is priced at £64.99 and the Premium edition is priced at £89.99.
“Wow, I was frustrated enough with a shop for costumes in a full priced game, but fatalities too? This has fully solidified my decision to not buy the game,” said one.
When another argued that there was no impetus to purchase the new Fatality as it has no in-game advantage, they countered that Mortal Kombat 1 is not a free to play title.
“This isn’t Fortnite where the game is meant to be free and thrive off of cosmetics. This is a full priced AAA game. There’s no reason there should be premium currency and blocked off content,” they explained.
Presently, there has been no acknowledgement from NetherRealm about the discontentment over the addition.
In other gaming news, Blizzard Entertainment revealed a sweepstakes to win a gaming PC that will only unlock once Diablo 4 fans have donated 666 quarts (630 litres) of blood to donation centres across the United States.