Mortal Kombat 1's New Character Is Delayed, But There's Good News

"Mortal Kombat" fans were in for a bit of a rollercoaster when the team behind "Mortal Kombat 1" dropped two surprise announcements in a single tweet last night. NetherRealm Studios dished out a one-two punch of news that's sure to leave players smarting for a few days at least.

Before we can release Ferra as our next Kameo Fighter, we need a bit more time to make sure she can assist to the best of her abilities. Ferra will now be available alongside Takeda's early access release on July 23. We thank you for your patience and will keep you updated.

— Mortal Kombat 1 (@MortalKombat) June 17, 2024

The first hit is a tough one to take. Ferra, the final Kameo fighter for the game's initial season, isn't coming out on schedule. She was originally planned to be playable now (released alongside Homelander), but her launch has been pushed back until July 23 so the team has more time to work on balancing her as a fighter. The next bit of news softens the blow, but only a little: Takeda, the last DLC character of the first Kombat Pack for "MK1," is going into early access when Ferra makes her debut.

It's disappointing that we'll have to wait a while longer to get our hands on Ferra's moveset, but it's hard to complain too much when NetherRealm studios has been steadily beefing up "MK1"'s already stacked roster since the game was released last September. We've gotten a dizzying array of DLC characters, but there are a few signs that this glut of content is just the beginning.

Since "Mortal Kombat 1" launched, nine additional characters have been added to the game. The Kombat Pack has given us several characters from other franchises, like Omni-Man, Peacemaker, and Homelander, as well as classic "Mortal Kombat" characters like Quan-Chi and Ermac. We've also gotten Kameo appearances from Janet Cage, Tremor, Khameleon, and Mavado. When Ferra and Takeda arrive on July 23, we'll have gotten 11 new characters in under a year.

True "Mortal Kombat" fans know that Ed Boon is the best source for news about the franchise, and back in December, he gave us a big reason to stay excited about "MK1." Speaking at CCXP23 in Brazil, Boon said that the team had plans to release a story DLC much like they did with "MK11," also teased that the team is working on another surprise that would come sometime after the second half of the story. In other words, the end of the first Kombat Pack is really just the midway point for "MK1." It sounds like there's plenty more fighting to come.