UPDATE
What Kameo characters would you like as main roster characters next time? Or are you fine with some of them staying Kameos? Let us know below!
ORIGINAL STORY
When many heard Mortal Kombat 1 might be a reboot/resetting of the timeline, gamers weren’t sure how it would play out. The 9th mainline entry full-on rebooted everything to try and streamline events while creating new possibilities. But with the upcoming title, NetherRealm Studios took a different approach. Instead of “speeding through past titles” to create a new future, they gave Liu Kang the power of a god and the ability to manipulate time and destiny. Through this, he’s crafted a world that he believes to be “perfect” and offered new chances at life and happiness to those who didn’t have it before.
Within the story mode, we will see 24 characters and how they are attached to the new world Liu Kang crafted. The twist is that the 24 characters aren’t all “classic choices,” as NetherRealm has not only rebuilt numerous characters with new backstories but also brought back characters who haven’t been seen in years. Due to this, there are “Kameo Fighters” who are there for gameplay but haven’t been fully “revealed” in the world or are from past games. Some of these characters include the classic version of Scorpion, Kano, and two fan favorites, Sonya Blade and Jax. Those two are franchise icons, and fans are a bit worried about what it means to only see them as Kameos.
In a chat with IGN, narrative director Dominic Cianciolo stated that while they are Kameos, that doesn’t mean they’re gone from the franchise forever:
“Well, obviously we’ve got Jax and Sonya as Kameo Characters. I mean, lore-wise… I can’t speculate on what you haven’t seen already. I know some people are worried in this new universe that, oh my gosh, these characters no longer exist. They’re gone forever. It’s totally not the case. Whether they appear in this game or in future games, obviously that’s to be determined, depending on where the studio wants to go and everyone wants to do, but they’re around. And as you play through, you sort of see where they are and where they’re coming from.”
So, there is some room for them to maneuver in. Some characters have been confirmed to “not exist” in this new timeline, but those are specifically the “children” of some of the Kombatants, like Cassie Cage, who hasn’t been born as her parents haven’t met and had her.
The director also teased the potential sequels that may follow Mortal Kombat 1, so there’s definitely a chance that your fan favorite could be around next time.