Will MK1 Be On Xbox One?
The Mortal Kombat franchise has been a staple of fighting game enthusiasts for decades, and its latest iteration, Mortal Kombat 11 (MK11), has garnered huge success across various platforms, including Xbox One. But the question remains on the minds of Xbox fans: will Mortal Kombat 11 ever be released on Xbox One? To provide a direct answer to this burning question, let’s dive into the possibilities.
Initial Release Platforms:
Before we discuss potential Xbox One releases, it’s essential to recognize the platforms MK11 launched with:
• PC
• PlayStation 4 (PS4)
• Google Stadia ( cloud-based platform)
MK11’s initial launch exclusivity with Sony’s PS4 consoles sparked a frenzy among Xbox loyalists, wondering why the game was released only on PlayStation platforms. While not a straightforward answer exists for the exclusive partnership, we’ll dissect potential reasons below.
Sony-NetherRealm Partnership:
Reports suggest that Sony Interactive Entertainment had a significant stake in NetherRealm Studios’ development of MK11, possibly leading to the PlayStation-exclusive arrangement. The partnership granted NetherRealm increased production resources and a larger player base for the game. This shared control and support might have motivated them to focus on the PS4 at launch.
Xbox Fan Frenzy:
Fan frustrations regarding the initial PS4 exclusive launch culminated in various hashtags and social media campaigns, emphasizing demands for the game’s arrival on Microsoft’s Xbox platform. Overwhelmed by fan requests in March 2020, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), NetherRealm’s publisher, filed a trademark lawsuit against Warner Bros. Global Wizard to protect its digital publishing services. This unprecedented act signaled WBIE’s concern with preserving the game’s brand quality, a crucial point often ignored by enthusiasts.
Table 1: Possible Scenarios:
Assuming MK11 has never been in development for Xbox, with Microsoft’s 7th Generation console nearing completion in 2013. With all odds stacked against its odds of happening, here’s the least possible, yet, likely release timeline for Xbox One, or maybe an Xbox Next series, we can break scenarios:
| Scenario | Expected/Plausible Timeline | Justifications |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft-NetherRealm negotiation in 2015 | 6 Years Post-Launch | Rebuttal from the community: Could WBIE have been courting a PS4 console manufacturer and only later engaged NetherRealm for Xbox versions to bridge the divide? Strong likelihood but no confirmed negotiations exist. |
| Possible engine migration from PS4-PlayStation Vita | 9/12 Years Post-Launch | It would make sense that engineers working on PS Vita handheld adaptations (2019 launch) and PS4 editions of Mortal Kombat Trilogy could reuse the same base in Xbox console versions. |
We acknowledge these scenarios and assumptions present strong case for the uncertainty, but we don’t hold hope; the likelihood drops below 30%.
Here are possible reasons why.
Factors That Might Complicate the Possibility of MK1’s Xbox Release:
- Rider Clauses: Specific financial terms within the Sony-NetherRealm agreement might bar, limit, or delay WBIE’s potential partnerships with Microsoft and X-box.
Riders have become an essential clause when a studio is financed
(Read: Understanding IP Acquisitions and Development deals )
NetherRealm will benefit more by maintaining and monetizing this partnership,
rather than diverting resources to build X-box platforms.
Nexus Factor for Xbox owners seeking
(Read more – Microsoft is not taking games and releasing them.
But you’ll find the new exclusive)
Nexus of Nexus.
Let’s just move it!