As we’ve noted plenty of times in the past, for most video games, sales numbers are the biggest determination of whether a game is “successful or not.” However, even when a video game has massive sales, it can still be labeled a “failure” by fans and critics for key reasons. If you need proof of this, you need only look at Mortal Kombat 1. The title had a lot of hype going into its launch a few years back, given that the previous entry “stole the show” with its story, gameplay mechanics, and roster. However, many felt that what we got wasn’t as good as what was promised.
The story took place in a reformed universe where Liu Kang used his titan and god powers to rewrite everyone’s backstory to try and give them a better life, forging a better world in the process. However, things naturally go wrong, and the fight begins to save what has been made.
Recently, Mortal Kombat 1 leader Ed Boon noted on Twitter that the game had sold 6.2 million units, which is a large amount, and far more than any other recent fighting game. He then promised that NetherRealm Studios would continue to balance the game going forward:
A nice gesture. Yet, many would still consider this game a failure. Why? First, the story may have had plenty of potential, and it looked beautiful on most systems, but it was hardly up to the caliber of past entries from NetherRealm. Bringing in the multiverse didn’t help, either, as fans were tired of those kinds of stories.
Then, there was the first expansion, “Khaos Reigns,” which added a new story to the mix…which was panned heavily…especially since it was going to cost players $50 to play. That’s basically the price of the original game for a DLC expansion! The lack of sales for that expansion was inevitably what forced NetherRealm to stop doing DLC characters after the second year, despite promising many years of content.
It also should be noted that despite selling 6.2 million units, that’s less than half of what the previous entry did. That’s what most would call a “cliff.” Sure, it wasn’t a total bomb, but successes are meant to be matched or surpassed, not dropped to half the next time.
What NetherRealm Studios does from here is a mystery. Regardless of their choices, though, they must learn from this setback, or else find themselves with even fewer sales the next time.
