Mortal Kombat 1 free downloads announced following fan backlash

Mortal Kombat 1 has apologised for charging $10 for new fatalities by releasing a free one.

It’s been a good year for fighting games, with Street Fighter 6 breathing new life into the series, Tekken 8 receiving a beta prior to its January 2024 release, and of course, Mortal Kombat 1 rebooting the franchise while keeping the gory fun it’s famous for.

Check out Mortal Kombat 1 below

In our review, we called Mortal Kombat 1 a “gloriously gory delight” and it seems like fans agree.

So far the game has impressed us with gruesome, bone-crushing brutalities and fatalities, a solid story, and a stellar choice in DLC fighters, like Omni-Man, who recently joined the roster as a satisfying addition to the cast.

However, despite its success, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for NetherRealm. Aside from the lacklustre Nintendo Switch port, the developer came under fire by fans around Halloween, after a fatality inspired by the spooky month arrived as DLC. While the fatality itself was cool, having the player’s character ram a bug-filled pumpkin onto the opponent's head, before kicking their skull off their shoulders, it was the price that got people angry.

That single fatality cost $10, rightly causing outrage among players who felt that was a ridiculous price for an extra finishing move.

NetherRealm has since responded to the backlash, saying “We appreciate your feedback,” before confirming those who bought the Halloween fatality will receive a Thanksgiving-themed fatality free of charge as a goodwill gesture.

This hasn’t changed the fact you can still buy a finishing move for $10, and the Thanksgiving one is only free for those who bought the Halloween one. It’ll be available for other players as part of a Seasonal Bundle, so you’re still paying a hefty price for barebones content.

Hopefully the developers reevaluate its DLC plan going forward, but with Warner Bros striving for more live-service and battle pass-type games, it’s looking unlikely.

Mortal Kombat 1 is available for Xbox, PlayStation, PC and Nintendo Switch platforms.