Mortal Kombat 1 has been revealed in full by NetherRealm and Warner Bros., and it looks more brutal than ever before. It boasts a reboot-based story, with Liu Kang having sent the timeline back further than we’ve ever seen it go in franchise history. There’s an all-new fighting system named Kameo, a fresh roster of fighters, and more gore and violent combat than you can shake a stick at. With Mortal Kombat 1 having finally been announced, 2023 officially becomes one of the best years on record for the fighting games esports scene.

We’re mere days away from the launch of Street Fighter 6, and on September 19th, we’ll get access to Mortal Kombat 1. This year, Tekken 8 could also be released, but it may be pushed to early 2024. There are also ongoing rumours circulating of a brand-new product called ‘Disney Domination’, which is supposedly going to be a hyper-ambitious competitor to Super Smash. There’s a new King of Fighters game, the first AEW title, a better-than-ever WWE 2K game, and many more fighting games coming in 2023.

It’s a brilliant year for the fighting scene.

Mortal Kombat 1 Looks Fantastic

It was only an early reveal trailer, but what we’ve seen of Mortal Kombat 1 already looks brilliant. In the video, we’re treated to tranquil scenes that are quickly shattered by intense, graphic violence – and it’s only going to get more brutal as time goes on. There’s the regular line-up of someone of the most recognisable characters and fighters, but this will supposedly be the largest roster in Mortal Kombat history.

There’s also a ‘secondary roster’ of fighters known as ‘Kameo’ characters. New for Mortal Kombat 1, the Kameo system will see players pick AI-controlled characters that can make an appearance at opportune moments during a fight to lend a hand and present collaborative opportunities.

Here’s the trailer:

There Is Always Something Worth Fighting For

This year (and into 2024), fans of fighting games are going to be spoilt for choice. It’s a series of changes that are set to impact the esports scene for fighting games immeasurably, with competitors needing to learn the ropes on three top-tier new titles: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and now Mortal Kombat 1.

There’s better technology powering these games, too. It was recently revealed that Street Fighter 6 will boast rollback netcode, which means that fighting will be as low-latency as possible, making for more accurate combat online – which is a massive win for Street Fighter esports tournaments being played online. It’s a similar story across other platforms, with Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1 both boasting new, advanced, and enhanced features and technology.

For fans of the genre, there will be plenty of titles to pick from going forward. It may be a few years before any of these games resurface again, so it’s best to enjoy them while they’re here and spend a long time perfecting your skills in each game.