Mortal Kombat Games Getting Remastered?
The Mortal Kombat games might finally getting remasters.
This article is more than 2 years old
1992’s Mortal Kombat video game marks the beginnings of one of the world’s most graphically violent and popular gaming franchises, which, to this day, hasn’t received a single remaster. It received a single soft reboot in 2011 which only retconned the events of the first three games in the series, but never led to an official remaster. Well, that’s about to change because a new tweet by the franchise co-creator sparked an online wildfire about some of the games in the series getting remastered. But are they?
Ed Boon, the creative head of NetherRealm Studios, just caused a commotion on social media with his Twitter poll asking respondents which Mortal Kombat games deserve a much-needed remaster. Of course, his poll doesn’t offer anything tangible and isn’t indicative of anything, but the co-creator of the iconic franchise is known for teasing the upcoming content on numerous occasions and through multiple means. We haven’t heard of any new games in active development, original or remaster releases, which could indicate that Boon’s only inspecting the market for an upcoming project. “Could” being the primary word.
Boon’s Tweet inquiry garnered over 147,000 votes, split unevenly between Mortal Kombat: Deception, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, Mortal Kombat 9, and Mortal Kombat II, with Shaolin Monks as a clear winner. Mortal Kombat II, which brought us Babalities, got only 11% of votes, despite being the oldest of the four and perhaps the most deserving of a remaster. The MK: Deception got 14.1% of votes, while Mortal Kombat 9, the 2011’s soft reboot of the franchise, earned 28.2% of votes. 2005’s Shaolin Monks whopped the competition and went home with 46.7% of fandom’s votes, making it a clear winner, and according to fandom – the one most deserving of a remaster.
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is a spin-off entry in the franchise, which focuses on the adventures of Liu Kang and Kung Lao, set in an alternate timeline between the original Mortal Kombat and its immediate sequel. This beat-’em-up action-adventure attracted favorable reviews and criticism when it was released in 2005 and became a cult classic in the following years. Still, it managed to become a center of controversy for condoning and glorifying violence – much like every other Mortal Kombat game since the franchise’s beginning. No surprise there! But will this game get a makeover, or is Boon just having fun and teasing the fandom?
Well, that remains an unanswered question. It’s fascinating how none of the Mortal Kombat games ever got a remaster, given that the past decade was dominated by remasters and remakes in all facets of entertainment and media. These remastered editions only proved that there’s money to be made off of nostalgia and that an appetite exists for potential next-gen remasters of particular games. Unfortunately, no official statement and announcements were made regarding any new games in the series at the time of this writing, keeping MK Fans the world over in the crushing depths of speculative thought and debate.
Conclusively, though no tangible data was derived from Boon’s poll, this isn’t the first time the co-creator of Mortal Kombat teased a Shaolin Monks remaster/remake. He made similar statements in 2013, which ironically may shed a bit of light on the intended direction of this newest tweet.
