Last year's Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe represented a huge departure
for the Midway fighting franchise. Not only did it devote half of the
game's roster to the comic book maker's star heroes and villains, but
it also toned down the series' violence level in order to get a T for
Teen rating.
No more. In a series of posts on his Twitter page,
Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon confirmed that the next installment of
the series (referred to as Mortal Kombat 9 for the time being), will go
for the jugular.
"People want an M-rated MK," Boon said. "Dammit, we will give them an M-rated MK."
The post came shortly after Boon discussed a motion-capture
session being done for the game's special moves and fatalities. It
appears the designer is pushing his own comfort zone with the new
fatalities, as he referred to them as "sick," before musing, "I hope we
aren't taking these too far."
An M-rating would certainly preclude the game from being a
sequel to Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and Boon confirmed that Mortal
Kombat 9 would not feature any superheroes. When asked by another
Twitter user if the motion-capture session was for a new game or
rumored downloadable characters for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Boon
joked they were actually "for the next MK9: Attack of the Nuns: Get in
the Habbit!" (sic)
Whatever shape the next Mortal Kombat takes, it might be some
time before gamers get to see it. Earlier this month, Boon posted that
the game is "over a year away." Similarly unknown is who the game's
publisher will be. Midway recently declared bankruptcy, and while Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has put in a $33 million bid for most of the company--including the Mortal Kombat license--other bids can be submitted until later this month.