Mortal Kombat 11 is a 2019 fighting game created by NetherRealm Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. It is the 11th main game in the Mortal Kombat series and follows Mortal Kombat X (2015). The game was first announced at The Game Awards 2018 and released in North America and Europe on April 23, 2019, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The European version of the Switch game was released later, on May 10, 2019. A version for Google Stadia was released on November 19, 2019.

When it was released, the console versions of Mortal Kombat 11 received mostly positive reviews. Reviewers praised the game’s gameplay, story, graphics, and better online features. However, some critics pointed out the use of microtransactions and the need to repeat tasks to gain rewards. An expansion called Aftermath was released on May 26, 2020. It added a new story mode, three new characters, new game areas, and returned two special moves: stage fatalities and friendship finishes. An updated version of the game, called Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate, was released on November 17, 2020, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. This version included all previously released downloadable content. A new game, Mortal Kombat 1, which is also a reboot of the series, was released on September 19, 2023.

Gameplay

Mortal Kombat 11 is a 2.5D fighting game, similar to the previous three games in the series, including Mortal Kombat Mobile. The game includes returning features such as Fatalities, Brutalities, Stage Fatalities, Friendships, and Quitalities. New features include Fatal Blows and Krushing Blows. Fatal Blows are special moves similar to X-ray moves in the 2011 reboot and Mortal Kombat X. Like X-ray moves, Fatal Blows deal heavy damage, but they can only be used when a player’s health drops below 30% and only once per match. Unlike in Mortal Kombat X and Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition, Fatal Blows do not show bones or other body parts and are considered a change from earlier versions. Krushing Blows are a type of special move that causes severe injuries and can drain up to 30% of a player’s health in one hit. A new feature called Flawless Block allows players to recover after blocking an attack with precise timing. A returning finisher called Mercy, last seen in Mortal Kombat Trilogy, lets the winning player revive their opponent after the "Finish Him/Her" prompt, giving the opponent a small amount of health.

Mortal Kombat 11 introduces a Kustom Variation feature, which allows players to customize characters in a way similar to the Gear system in Injustice 2, a previous game by NetherRealm Studios. This system improves on the Variation system from Mortal Kombat X. Each character starts with a set of skins, gear, and moves, which players can further customize. However, unlike Injustice 2, character appearance in Mortal Kombat 11 does not affect their abilities, allowing players to create custom move lists independently of their character’s look. Online modes now support cross-play for the first time in the series, though this feature is in beta and does not include Nintendo Switch, PC, or Stadia.

Plot

After Shinnok's defeat, Dark Raiden decides to protect Earthrealm by destroying all its enemies and killing Shinnok. This action inspires Kronika, the guardian of time, to change history to stop Raiden and remove him from existence. Two years later, a Special Forces team led by Sonya Blade, Cassie Cage, and Jacqui Briggs attacks the Netherrealm with Raiden's help. They destroy the Netherrealm castle, but Sonya loses her life in the process. Kronika then teams up with revenants and Netherrealm rulers, Liu Kang and Kitana.

At the same time, Kotal Kahn, emperor of Outworld, tries to punish Shao Kahn's loyalist, Kollector, but a time storm brings past versions of Shao Kahn, Skarlet, Baraka, Kano, Erron Black, Jade, Raiden, Kitana, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Jax, Scorpion, Kabal, and Kung Lao into the present. This storm also removes Dark Raiden from existence. A battle breaks out in Kotal's Koliseum until D'Vorah takes Baraka, Kollector, Skarlet, Shao Kahn, Black, and Kano to her hive to join Kronika.

Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Raiden meet with Kotal after forming an alliance, while Jade and Kitana help Kotal defend Outworld from Kronika's forces. Liu Kang and Kung Lao investigate the Wu Shi Academy and fight Kronika's assistant, Geras. Geras escapes with energy capsules holding Earthrealm's life force using his time-related powers.

The Special Forces learn that Sektor, supported by Noob Saibot and a cybernetic version of Frost, is rebuilding the Cyber Lin Kuei to create an army of cyborgs for Kronika. Grandmasters Sub-Zero and Hanzo Hasashi shut down Sektor's factory with Cyrax's help, forcing Geras, Black, and Kano to retreat to Kronika's Keep, where they revive Sektor and rebuild the army.

Raiden seeks advice from the Elder Gods, who cannot help because a time storm is weakening their power. Shinnok's sister, Cetrion, gives Raiden a clue about defeating Kronika. Later, Raiden learns Cetrion betrayed the Elder Gods to serve Kronika. Kotal and Jade visit a Tarkatan camp to ask for help against Shao Kahn, but Kotal's hatred of Tarkatans causes a fight with Jade before Shao Kahn captures Kotal.

The Special Forces base is destroyed by the Black Dragon gang and Kronika's army. Younger Johnny and Sonya are captured, elder Johnny is injured, and Sektor destroys himself. Because of this, along with the destruction of Sub-Zero's Lin Kuei Temple and the Wu Shi Academy's Sky Temple, Earthrealm's heroes gather at Hasashi's Fire Garden. Cassie leads a team to rescue her parents, and Sonya kills the younger Kano to erase his existence. Meanwhile, Kitana, Liu Kang, and Kung Lao fight Baraka to form an alliance with Sheeva. Kitana defeats and blinds Shao Kahn, uniting Outworld factions and inheriting Kotal's throne.

Raiden sends Jax and Jacqui to Shang Tsung's abandoned island to retrieve the Crown of Souls, but they are stopped by Cetrion, who escapes with the Crown. Present-day Jax, tricked by Kronika, helps her. Hasashi tries to convince Kharon, the ferryman of Netherrealm souls, to join the heroes. Hasashi persuades Scorpion to help but is killed by D'Vorah. Scorpion drives her away and returns to the Fire Garden to honor Hasashi. Raiden attacks Scorpion using Shinnok's amulet, but Liu Kang stops him, revealing they have fought across timelines. Kronika captures Liu Kang, and a joint Earthrealm-Outworld army attacks Kronika's Keep. Geras is thrown into the Sea of Blood, Frost is disabled, and present-day Jax joins the heroes.

After revenant Liu Kang absorbs his past self's soul, Kronika sends him to fight Raiden, who merges with him to become Fire God Liu Kang. The heroes attack Kronika's Keep, but she rewinds time. Fire God Liu Kang defeats the remaining revenants and Cetrion. Kronika absorbs Cetrion's power to reset the universe, erasing all events. Fire God Liu Kang remains unaffected and fights Kronika one last time to decide the New Era's fate.

Depending on the battle's outcome, the story ends in one of these ways:

• If Kronika wins, she kills Liu Kang and starts the New Era. The player is asked to replay the fight.
• If Liu Kang defeats Kronika but loses one round, he meets mortal Raiden, who becomes his advisor. This is the official ending leading to the Aftermath expansion.
• If Liu Kang defeats Kronika twice, he chooses Kitana to join him by the Hourglass, vowing to fix Kronika's mistakes.

After Kronika's defeat, Fire God Liu Kang and Raiden try to use the Hourglass to restore history but are interrupted by Shang Tsung, Fujin, and Nightwolf, who were trapped in a timeless void by Kronika. Shang Tsung explains the Crown of Souls was destroyed, making the Hourglass unusable. He convinces Liu Kang to send him, Fujin, and Nightwolf back in time to retrieve the Crown. Despite Raiden's doubts, Liu Kang agrees.

Shang Tsung, Fujin, and Nightwolf arrive in Outworld as Kitana confronts Shao Kahn. They try to escape but are discovered. To defeat Cetrion, they resurrect Sindel and capture her revenant. They return to Outworld, use Sheeva's debt to Sindel, and restore her despite resistance. Sindel joins them, and Fujin convinces Jax to defect. They capture the Crown, and Fujin and Shang Tsung convince Raiden of their alliance.

As the attack on Kronika's Keep begins, Shang Tsung has Sindel heal Shao Kahn. They betray Sheeva, gain control of her army, and defeat Kitana, Liu Kang, Jade, and others. It is revealed Sindel willingly married Shao Kahn after he conquered her realm.

Characters

The game includes a total of 37 playable characters. Of these, 25 are in the main game, with 2 of them being unlockable through gameplay. An additional 12 characters are available through downloadable content (DLC), and 5 of these are guest characters from other games. Characters shown in bold are new to the series, while those in italics are guest characters.

The game features returning characters such as Kano, Raiden, Scorpion, Sonya Blade, Sub-Zero, and Skarlet, who previously appeared in the 2011 version of the game. Four new fighters were added to the roster, and three of them are playable. Kronika is the first female boss character in the series and has the power to control time. She has watched over the events of the Mortal Kombat story since the beginning but is not a playable character. New playable fighters include Geras, a creation of Kronika who can control time and use sand-based attacks; Cetrion, an Elder Goddess who is Shinnok’s sister and Kronika’s daughter and controls elemental forces; and Kollector, a six-armed Naknadan who collects tribute for the Outworld empire.

Characters who are not playable but appear in the game include Shinnok, who is shown in the story mode introduction and in one stage (only his head is visible); Sektor and Cyrax, who appear as non-playable opponents in the story mode; Ermac, Reptile, and Smoke, who are part of Shang Tsung’s moveset and one of Rain’s fatalities; and Kintaro, who appears in one of Shang Tsung’s fatalities.

Development

Mortal Kombat 11 was created by NetherRealm Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. These same companies were also involved in making the earlier version of the game, Mortal Kombat X. The game was introduced by Ed Boon, one of the game's co-creators, in December 2018 during The Game Awards 2018. A trailer showed characters Dark Raiden and Scorpion fighting each other. At the end of the trailer, it was announced that people who pre-ordered the game would receive Shao Kahn as a playable character. The trailer included a song called "Immortal," performed by artist 21 Savage. On January 17, 2019, a community event was held at the same time in Los Angeles and London. The event included a filmed interview with Ronda Rousey, the voice actor for Sonya Blade. On March 22, 2019, about a month before the game's release, it was announced at C2E2 that actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa would return to his role as Shang Tsung from the 1995 film and the second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. This announcement also revealed that Shang Tsung would be available as downloadable content. A public stress test for the game's online mode took place from March 15 to March 17. A closed beta version of the game was available from March 27 to April 1, 2019, for players who pre-ordered the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions. During the 2019 Brasil Game Show, Ed Boon explained that the story mode of Mortal Kombat 11 concludes the story that began with the first Mortal Kombat game and continues the plot from the 2011 reboot. The game used the Unreal Engine 3. The Nintendo Switch version was made by Shiver Entertainment, and the Windows version was developed by QLOC.

Marketing and release

The game was released on April 23, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A version for Stadia was released later in the year on November 19, 2019. On March 22, 2022, almost three years after the game's release, a patch was released for the PC version. This patch removed the Denuvo Anti-Tamper software and included other minor changes. McFarlane Toys created a line of action figures to promote the game.

The physical version of Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, released in June 2020, was the last game published under the WB Games label. This followed a corporate rebrand of Warner Bros. in 2019. Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate, released in the same year as the Aftermath DLC, was published under the Warner Bros. Games label. It used a shield logo designed by Pentagram, first introduced in 2019, replacing the WB Games logo that had been used since 2010.

At C2E2 on March 22, 2019, Shang Tsung was announced as the first downloadable character. He returned from the 2011 reboot of the game. The character used the voice and likeness of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who played him in the 1995 Mortal Kombat film and the second season of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. On May 31, 2019, five additional fighters were announced for the first Kombat Pack, which included Shang Tsung. Three of these characters were Nightwolf and Sindel, returning from the 2011 game, and Spawn from Image Comics by Todd McFarlane. Keith David reprised his role as Spawn from the HBO animated series Todd McFarlane's Spawn. In February 2015, McFarlane gave NetherRealm a limited permission to use Spawn as a guest character. However, in April 2015, Ed Boon said Spawn was discussed as a potential guest character early in development but was not aware of McFarlane’s offer until after Mortal Kombat X was released. McFarlane hinted at Spawn’s inclusion in Mortal Kombat 11 during a Reddit AMA in December 2018. A gameplay trailer featuring Spawn was released on March 8, 2020, during the "Final Kombat" tournament. David attended the event as a guest, alongside the debut of the red band trailer for the animated film Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge.

On August 21, the remaining two guest characters were revealed: the Terminator from the Terminator franchise and the Joker from DC Comics. The Joker returned to the series after Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and was a playable character in the Injustice series. Richard Epcar voiced the Joker, reprising his role from both games. For the Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger provided his facial likeness and capture for the character, which was voiced by Chris Cox, chosen by Schwarzenegger himself. In a December 2015 interview, Ed Boon said the Terminator was considered as a guest character for Mortal Kombat X. The initial design of the Joker received negative reactions from fans, who compared it to poor cosplay. A teaser trailer released on December 12, 2019, showed a redesigned Joker due to the backlash. The redesign was later praised for improving his facial features. Ed Boon described the Joker as "Vicious," contrasting his toned-down appearance in previous games. A teaser uploaded on New Year’s Day 2020 showed the Joker’s trademark graffiti and smiling on the walls of Arkham Asylum during fireworks, followed by laughter. Two weeks later, Boon posted a gameplay image of the Joker covered in blood on Twitter, hinting at his inclusion. A gameplay trailer was released on January 16, 2020, showing the Joker’s new moveset and gruesome Fatality.

Like Mortal Kombat X, Mortal Kombat 11 included skin packs in the Kombat Pack. Each pack normally had three character skins, with a total of eighteen skins. Some single skins were released for free, such as a Harley Quinn-inspired skin for Cassie Cage and a Dimitri Vegas skin for Sub-Zero. Vegas provided the voice for the skin. In the summer of 2019, two Klassic skin packs were released in two months: a Klassic Ninja skin pack in June and a Klassic Arcade Fighter skin pack in August 2019. In October 2019, a Double Feature skin pack was released, while a Halloween skin pack was given for free. In November 2019, a Gothic horror skin pack was released. In January 2020, an Elseworlds-themed skin pack was announced alongside a Darkseid skin for Geras. In March 2020, a Matinee skin pack was released with Spawn, including a "Hellspawn" themed skin for Jacqui Briggs.

On May 5, 2020, a new story mode DLC was teased and announced the next day. The DLC was titled Aftermath and included new story mode content with Fujin, who was last playable in Armageddon; Sheeva, who previously appeared as a non-playable character in the game’s story mode; and RoboCop, with actor Peter Weller reprising his role since RoboCop 2. Three additional skin packs were announced in July 2020 and released between August and September 2020.

On October 6, 2020, a teaser trailer for an additional DLC pack was uploaded, with more details promised on October 8. This DLC was revealed to be Kombat Pack 2, featuring three playable characters: Mileena, who was last playable in Mortal Kombat X; Rain, who was last playable in the 2011 reboot via DLC; and John Rambo from the Rambo franchise, with original actor Sylvester Stallone providing his voice and likeness. Stallone recorded his dialogue at home via Zoom calls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mileena’s inclusion in Kombat Pack 2 was due to fan demand after her absence in the base game. Ed Boon explained that Mileena was excluded from the base game to encourage fan appreciation for the character after repeated social media requests for her return. An enhanced version of the game, titled *Mortal

Related media

In February 2019, the mobile game that was first released as Mortal Kombat X for iOS and Android was renamed Mortal Kombat Mobile after receiving its 2.0 update. This update included content from Mortal Kombat 11. One change was switching the graphics engine from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 4. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play, with Google Play reporting 50 million downloads.

Reception

Mortal Kombat 11 received mostly good reviews according to Metacritic. IGN said the slower combat style compared to earlier games in the series, along with the expanded tutorial, story mode, and improved online features, were positive changes. However, IGN criticized the game's slow progression and the system for unlocking new content, which was called "frustrating and time-consuming." GameSpot gave the game a 9, praising the fighting system as "easy to learn, complex, and exciting," and the story mode. They also pointed out problems with the requirement to stay connected to the internet for progress and the randomness of rewards in the Krypt.

The Nintendo Switch version of the game was also well received. Pure Nintendo gave it a 9, highlighting the story mode, customization options, and tutorials, but noted that online features were not as strong. Nintendo Life gave it an 8 out of 10, praising its features but criticizing its graphics, which were described as less visually appealing compared to other versions.

In North America, Mortal Kombat 11 was the top-selling video game in April. Along with Fortnite, this helped digital game sales reach over $8.8 billion that month. In June 2019, Mortal Kombat 11 sold more copies than Kingdom Hearts III. It remained the top-selling game in North America for May, with sales nearly doubling compared to earlier games in the series. In May 2019, the game reached number 1 in Australia, number 2 in New Zealand, and number 2 in Switzerland. It was the fourth most downloaded game on the European PlayStation Store in April 2019.

Overall, Mortal Kombat 11 was the fifth best-selling game of 2019 and the fourth best-selling PS4 game of that year. By 2022, the game had sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling game in the Mortal Kombat franchise.

Controversies

Mortal Kombat 11 is banned in Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and China because of its violent and graphic content. It was also banned in Ukraine due to laws that prohibit Communist symbols. These symbols appear in the "Kollection" images and on the bonus costume of the character Skarlet, which was included in the MK11 Premium Edition.

Mortal Kombat 11 faced strong criticism from fans for reducing the sexual appeal of its female characters. Ed Boon, the game's creator, told Playboy that it was "unrealistic" for female fighters to be dressed in revealing clothing and said the 2011 version of Mortal Kombat had "gone too far" in its portrayal of female characters.

In 2019, a developer of Mortal Kombat 11 told Kotaku that some team members were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being exposed to excessive graphic violence. The developers used real videos and images of violence, such as beheadings, murder scenes, and pictures of slaughtered animals, as inspiration for the game's violent content. Some employees reported having nightmares after viewing these materials. The studio was also accused of requiring employees to work 80 to 100 hours per week to meet deadlines, a practice known as "crunch culture."

In January 2021, a finalist in the Mortal Kombat 11 Pro Kompetition named Titaniumtigerzz was disqualified for naming his Sheeva variation "WhyDidNRSdoThis." The player explained that the name was intended to be a mild comment on Sheeva's strengths.

Sequel

In February 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav told reporters during a meeting about the company's financial results in 2022 that a 12th game in the series would be released later that year. This game was later confirmed to be Mortal Kombat 1. The Kollector and Premium editions of Mortal Kombat 1 came out on September 14, 2023, and the Standard edition was released on September 19 of the same year. The game received mostly good reviews, except for the version designed for the Nintendo Switch, which got mostly negative reviews.