If I asked you what the best-selling fighting game of this generation is, chances are your mind will automatically go to Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, or maybe one of the new Dragon Ball fighting games released.

If so, you might be surprised that none of those games have that crown, and it’s not even from a Japanese-based studio.

Which game is it? It’s none other than Mortal Kombat 1, the reboot of NetherRealm’s long-standing fighting game franchise.

Best-Selling Fighting Game This Gen, But Not Enough For New Content

Over on X (formerly Twitter), NetherRealm and Mortal Kombat franchise co-creator Ed Boon shared that Mortal Kombat 1 has reached over 6.2 million units sold. This puts it ahead of Street Fighter 6, which was at five million units sold a few months ago, and Tekken 8, which is just at three million units sold based on Bandai Namco’s announcement more than four months ago.

This means Mortal Kombat 1, for all intents and purposes, is the best-selling fighting game this gen so far.

Even if the game managed to sell that much, it apparently wasn’t enough to warrant NetherRealm continuing to develop post-release content for it. In May of this year, the studio announced that DLC support would cease, as NetherRealm is reportedly shifting to another unannounced project.

Interestingly enough, even if content support has ended, Boon has said that they are “still committed to refining MK1 to be our most balanced game,” which is commendable, I guess.

It’s both interesting and sad to see that, despite a game’s success, it’s still not enough to extend its shelf life. What would it take for NetherRealm to give it another round of content? We don’t know, but apparently, six million units sold isn’t enough.

Released in September 2023, Mortal Kombat 1 received a slew of post-release characters, with the last one being the T-1000 from the Terminator franchise as part of the Khaos Reigns DLC pack.

If you’re interested in getting the game with all the DLCs included, Warner Bros. released the Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition a few months ago, and you don’t even need to worry about FOMO since there’s no more content planned for it.

Our review of Mortal Kombat 1 was quite positive, stating, “Despite how short the story is, it is a great story nonetheless, and beyond that is lots of single-player content that will keep you coming back day after day. And of course, the finishing moves are bloodier and grittier than ever before.”

In other fighting game news, Arc System Works, the studio working on PlayStation-published Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, says they want to support it for as long as a decade.

Mortal Kombat 1

Released

September 19, 2023

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Publisher(s)

Warner Brothers Games

Engine

Unreal Engine 4