Fans waiting for an update from NetherRealm Studios on Mortal Kombat 11 were pleased this month when the studio announced Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate with a November 2020 release date. The Ultimate edition of the game will include all of the DLC released for the famous fighting game so far.
As with previous editions of Mortal Kombat 11, the new version will also include cross-platform gameplay, allowing players to battle across available consoles. The Ultimate edition has big implications for another big NetherRealm Studios series: Injustice, with the changes being made to Mortal Kombat 11 in the Ultimate edition likely also coming to Injustice 3.
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition
When NetherRealm Studios announced the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate edition, fans were quick to compile all of the announced features for the upcoming release of the game. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate will release on November 17, 2020. The game will include the 10 DLC characters released for MK11 so far, as well as the new upcoming characters from the Kombat Pack 2.
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate will also be cross-gen and cross-play, which not only means that players on the PS5 and the Xbox Series X will be able to battle each other, but also that players on the next-gen consoles will be able to battle players on the current generation of consoles. Warner Bros Games has also announced that players who own either the original or the Ultimate edition of the game on the current-gen consoles will be entitled to a free upgrade for the next-gen as well, which will include 4k visuals.
These are some big changes in the world of fighting games, giving players more flexibility than ever regardless of the console or generation they’re fighting on, as well as unlocking all of the characters. The Ultimate edition will release with a $59.99 price tag, and its announcement has big implications for Injustice 3.
Injustice 3
Injustice is NetherRealm Studios DC fighting game, where players battle it out as the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. The changes made for Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate will very likely set a standard for the genre, but since the developer of MK11 and Injustice is the same, it is extremely likely that fans can expect the same changes to be made for Injustice 3.
This means that if Injustice 3 is in development, the game will very likely be cross-play and cross-gen if support for the PS4 and Xbox One is still going. It also makes it likely that as DLC characters are released, fans can expect them to eventually be packaged as a single new version of the game which can be bought all at once. At this year’s DC FanDome, Ed Boon said there were currently no plans for Injustice 3, but not he did not rule it out entirely.
If nothing else, the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate edition sets a new standard for flexible play in fighting games regardless of whether players are on the current or next-gen consoles or which platform they're using, and fans can expect future NetherRealm projects and the studio’s competition to follow suite. If fan hopes for Injustice 3 are realized, the game will very likely follow in Mortal Kombat’s footsteps.
Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate will release for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on November 17th.