Highlights
- Mortal Kombat 1 won't have cross play at launch, disappointing fans who were hoping for the feature to be available right away.
- NetherRealm has communicated this information early, allowing fans to adjust their expectations and plan accordingly.
- Despite the lack of cross play, Mortal Kombat 1 will utilize rollback netcode, ensuring a stable online experience with reduced delay and latency problems.
In preparation of Early Access launch this week, Mortal Kombat 1 confirms that cross play won't be ready for launch. It's been a whirlwind few months for Mortal Kombat fans after months and months of speculation over a new game in the franchise. While many thought it would be a continuation of where Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermatch DLC left off, NetherRealm surprised a lot of fans by essentially rebooting the entire universe with Fire God Liu Kang at its center.
Considering its reveal back in May, announcements have been coming fast with fans getting the final few roster spots revealed only just recently in the Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer. Many have also gotten to go hands on with the game at various events like EVO 2023 as well as beta sessions to help test out the online capabilities before launch. With Early Access set for release later this week, followed by general access on September 19, NetherRealm is setting expectations with fans over one feature that isn't quite ready for the spotlight.
Although Cross Play was previously confirmed for Mortal Kombat 1, it seems the popular feature won't be ready for the game's launch. From the official account on X, Mortal Kombat posted an update expressing excitement over the upcoming launch of the game, while also being transparent about cross play not being available right away and instead will be launching sometime later.
However, most fans reacted to the news, expressing disappointment though pleased that it was communicated early. Others were more curious as to how far the cross play would go, whether it would just match Xbox and Playstation users, or include PC and Switch as well. Fans have a right to be curious as Mortal Kombat 11 didn't offer full cross play capability, as PC was left out of consoles, which ultimately dragged the experience down on that platform.
While the news will be no doubt disappointing, especially to those jumping online at launch, there is a bit of good news. Following the reveal of the game, NetherRealm confirmed through an FAQ section on the website that Mortal Kombat 1 will be utilizing rollback netcode, which has become the gold standard for online fighting games over the past few years. Thanks to the focus on stable connections regardless of locations, it offers players a much better experience that reduces delay and latency problems significantly.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X.
