NYCC 2017: Mortal Kombat celebrates 25 years

NetherRealm and Warner Bros are celebrating 25 years of Mortal Kombat this October with special content, and an NYCC panel.

Finish Him!

Who could forget the first time they heard that now-famous command in the original Mortal Combat? Well, actually I’m sure there are plenty of gamers out there right now to whom it means little. MK was a game from a simpler time remember, and the whole “fatality” issue was as much a cultural thing as it was a video game innovation.

That’s not to say that the series hasn’t gotten better with time (it has) or that it’s not a video game icon even to modern gamers (it is). While a lot of the shock that the series’ prided itself on in its early days might be gone, the game itself is very bit as big now as it was 25 years ago. Actually, it’s probably bigger.

And to that end, we have a slate of Mortal Kombat 25th Anniversary content to talk about. Warner Bros has announced that the full stable of NetherRealm mobile games will be receiving MK25 content. That includes Injustice 2, and even WWE Immortals.

Here’s how it shakes out.

• Injustice 2 for mobile adds Mortal Kombat’s God of Thunder Raiden, allowing players to battle the deity in Challenge Mode.  Raiden can be won in premium chests or purchased directly in a special offer.
• Mortal Kombat X for mobile adds Shao Kahn the Konqueror in full Diamond tier regalia. Players can also step up and battle against two new versions of Goro, the four-armed undefeated champion for 500 years.   In addition, fans can gear up for intense raid-style combat in the all new Relic Hunt feature.
• Injustice: Gods Among Us for mobile adds the dangerous assassin Scorpion to its line-up.
• WWE Immortals pays homage to Mortal Kombat as WWE Superstar Xavier Woods suits up as classic Mortal Kombat character Raiden.

In addition to the above, Raiden has officially arrived for the console version of Injustice 2, and MKX’ home version is getting a new set of Challenge Towers.

Mortal Kombat X 25th Anniversary Living Towers

Mortal Kombat X is unveiling new Living Tower challenges through Oct. 9 that are themed to previous Mortal Kombat releases: Mortal Kombat 1-4, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks and Mortal Kombat (2011).

Then there’s also the panel coming up. NYCC 2017 will play host to that this week, as the team from NetherRealm talks about the history of the series.

Celebrate 25 Years of Mortal Kombat Panel – New York Comic Con

Sunday, Oct. 8, 1:30-2:30 pm, Javits Center, Room 1A24

Show attendees are invited to join a panel that includes the original team that developed the first Mortal Kombat game: Ed Boon, John Tobias, Dan Forden and John Vogel.   Moderated by Geoff Keighley, they will discuss the early days of the franchise, the evolution of the brand, and the series’ lasting impact on the games industry and pop culture.