Co-creator Ed Boon assures fans Mortal Kombat 1 will keep receiving balance updates, even after major support officially ended.
Mortal Kombat 1 has claimed the title of being this console generation’s best-selling fighting game, surpassing six million sales since launch. The sales figure was announced in a post on Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon’s X (formerly Twitter) account on 9 August.
The milestone puts it ahead of Street Fighter 6’s five million copies milesont this year and Tekken 8’s three million (report by Game Rant), even though NetherRealm Studios ended major post-launch support for the game nearly three months ago.
Series co-creator Ed Boon addressed the game’s community on X, reaffirming that the studio is “still committed to refining MK1 to be our most balanced game” despite the shift in focus to its next project. His post accompanied the latest patch notes, shared in both video and text form.
Mortal Kombat 1’s success outpaces its rivals, but falls short of its predecessor
While Mortal Kombat 1 has edged out its competition in sales, it trails behind the franchise’s previous entry, Mortal Kombat 11, which sold over 15 million copies by 2022. The series has traditionally appealed to a broader audience than its fighting game rivals, drawing in both casual and competitive players.
However, NetherRealm’s history of relatively short support cycles for its games is in sharp contrast with other major fighting titles. Street Fighter V received six years of updates, while Tekken 7 saw four years of new content. In comparison, Mortal Kombat 1’s predecessor enjoyed two years of support before the studio moved on, which some fans already considered brief.
This time, the cycle has been even shorter. Mortal Kombat 1 lasted just under 21 months before the announcement that no more DLC fighters or story content would be added. The decision aligns with NetherRealm’s pattern of wrapping up content within one to two years of release, but it has still sparked debate among players hoping for longer-term investment.
For now, balance patches remain the game’s only ongoing updates, with Boon encouraging fans to share feedback on how to further refine the experience.
