During today's reveal of Mortal Kombat 11's upcoming "Kombat Pack 2," it was announced that the game can be upgraded to its PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X versions for free for anyone that already owns the game. The announcement was an unexpected surprise following the heavily teased additions to its roster.

Previously, series co-creator Ed Boon had been dropping several incredibly cryptic tweets pertaining to the identity of a new fighter being added to the game. Most of the discussion around Mortal Kombat 11 has been dominated by speculation over who this new mystery fighter could be, and did not leave much room for other conversations such as next-gen availability. The last time NetherRealm Studios was in a similar position was with the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, which released towards the end of the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360's lifespan in 2013. The studio addressed the question by releasing Injustice: Gods Among Us - Ultimate Edition which included all the DLC but received criticism for not utilizing the full power of the PS4 and Xbox One.

Related: Mortal Kombat 11 Adds Three New DLC Characters, Including Rambo

Earlier this morning, the official Mortal Kombat YouTube channel added a video revealing not one, not two, but three new DLC characters – including 1980's iconic action movie guest fighter Rambo. However, and without nearly as much fanfare, at the end of the video, it was announced that Mortal Kombat 11 players would get to upgrade to the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X versions free of charge. The upgrade will come with "visual enhancements, 4k dynamic resolution, significantly reduced load times, [and] cross-play and gross-gen."

MK11 Ultimate

Most surprisingly, the game will also have both cross-play and cross-gen, meaning that next-gen Mortal Kombat 11 players will be able to faceoff with whomever they want, regardless of their system. The video mentions that these upgrades will be available for both current players, and new ones as well. According to the video, this ability will launch on November 17, about a week after the release of both the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X.

It has been confirmed that PlayStation 5 players will be able to play with Xbox One players and vice versa. With that recognized, NetherRealm has made one of the most welcome, customer-friendly decisions of any game to date. Truth be told, it is a feat that will hopefully raise the bar for other releases that follow. Ed Boon and his team at NetherRealm have a history of open and positive interactions with the Mortal Kombat community, so it is no surprise that the team has implemented something that many fans had hoped for with next-gen consoles.

Next: Where Mortal Kombat’s Other Elemental Gods Are During MK 11

Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate is due to launch on November 17, 2020 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Google Stadia.

Source: Mortal Kombat - YouTube