Mortal Kombat 11 has, in some ways, spoiled fighting game fans. Many long-running fighting game franchises see favorite characters disappear between entries, only returning in sequels or on other platforms. MK11 has buried players under an avalanche of DLC characters, not just from past games but even totally unrelated franchises. That DLC is now coming to an end, though it's not necessarily bad news.
MK11 comes with 25 characters by default, including classics like Scorpion, Liu Kang, Kitana, and Raiden, as well as three newcomers, Cetrion, Geras, and Kollector. The first Kombat Pack DLC brought back Nightwolf, Sindel, and Shang Tsung and added DC's Joker and Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800. The Aftermath expansion and Kombat Pack 2 brought MK11's roster up to 37 characters, even including John Rambo and RoboCop.
NetherRealm is "now focusing on its next project," meaning MK11 DLC "has come to an end," the developer said in a July 2 tweet. In practical terms, the game's DLC really concluded in 2020; Kombat Pack 2 was released in October that year, and MK11's final download, the Klassic MK Movie Skin Pack, went live on November 24. This added skins for Raiden, Johnny Cage, and Sonya Blade based on the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie and brought back the film's actors for each character. If NetherRealm had planned to continue DLC, it would likely have produced skins for the Warner Bros. 2021 reboot movie, which hit theaters and HBO Max in April.
What Is NetherRealm's Mysterious Next Game?
NetherRealm hasn't revealed what its next project will be. While it could certainly be Mortal Kombat 12, some fans are already speculating about a new Injustice game, resulting in "Injustice 3" trending on Twitter after NetherRealm's announcement. The studio would, of course, need another licensing deal with DC, which would in turn probably want to commission comic books and other spinoffs based on the fighting game. Things might get even more complicated if DC decides to tie the game into recent movies like The Suicide Squad, but if all works out, the end result would likely be better for it.
Even if a Mortal Kombat 12 is coming, an unfortunate consequence will be a reset of the roster. NetherRealm wouldn't likely re-insert every character that from Mortal Kombat 11 before MK12's launch, since that would add months or more to development. It may be best, then, to savor the current roster while it's around, as the player base will likely migrate to a new MK quickly whenever it appears.
Source: NetherRealm