Mortal Kombat 1 Gives Away Free Fatalities After Halloween DLC Backlash [Update]
After some intense backlash following Mortal Kombat 1's horrifyingly expensive Halloween microtransactions, which include a pumpkin-headed, maggot-filled finisher known as a Fatality, developer NetherRealm Studios has announced that folks who bought the pricey execution will get two other ones for free.
Read More: Mortal Kombat 1's New Microtransactions Are Scarier Than Its Fatalities [Update]
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Next week, you can access the Seasonal Fatalities bundle, which includes the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and upcoming Winter fatality.
Those who purchased the Halloween fatality will have access to the bundle at no extra cost.
We appreciate your feedback on all everything #MK1.— Mortal Kombat 1 (@MortalKombat) November 9, 2023
While IGN speculated that the package could run you $30, a NetherRealm Studios spokesperson said in an email to Kotaku that the Seasonal Fatalities bundle will actually cost 1,200 Dragon Krystals (or about $10) and will be available on November 17. Getting two additional gory final attacks for free, assuming the other two cost $10 like the Halloween finisher does, sounds like a pretty sweet deal since you get three for the price of one. However, once again, fans of the 2D fighter aren’t happy with the game’s monetization efforts.
“How about making more ways for us to get dragon krystals more easily just by playing the game?” tweeted user RainyJady, referring to the premium in-game currency you can only buy with IRL money. “That way y’all won’t be getting backlash for those micro transactions.”
“$36 for fatalities is crazy,” said Twitter user _UltraLuminary.
“[NetherRealm Studios] has finally responded to the complaints.” said Redditor frostmkxcomics. “Now instead of paying 12$ for one fatality, you’re paying 12$ for three fatalities... Pathetic.”
“Still highway robbery —$12 should get you 1 new unique fatality for every character,” commented Reddit user Lil-Lui-. “[NetherRealm Studios] are professional hustlers.”
Kotaku reached out to Warner Bros. Games for comment.
Read More: How The Hell Did We Let $20 Skins Become A Thing?
While Mortal Kombat 1 may be the most recent offender, expensive monetization like this in both free and paid games has been a thing for a few years now. Call of Duty, Diablo IV, Fortnite, and Overwatch all include cosmetics that, while don’t typically give gameplay advantages, are still locked behind expensive paywalls you can only climb with real-world money. It’s a bummer, but unless we refuse to participate, it’s unlikely things will change.
Update, 11/15/23 1:40 p.m. ET: Added clarification from a NetherRealm Studios spokesperson about the cost of MK1's Seasonal Fatalities DLC bundle.
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