In the wake of Mortal Kombat 1’s first balance patch Netherrealm Studios has also announced a Halloween-themed DLC for a new pumpkin-based fatality. This should be good news, right? The Mortal Kombat community has been more than happy to pay $2 or so for new costumes in the past, so a fully animated fatality should be something they welcome. Unfortunately, said fatality DLC costs a whopping $10.
Obviously, this is an exceptionally large amount to charge for a fatality. Not a bundle of fatalities or a costume to go with it, but a single fatality (for reference’s sake Mortal Kombat 11’s Kombat Pack, which featured several actual characters, was $19.99). The community, obviously, is outraged by this and fear that it may be a sign of things to come for future DLC packages. The obvious reason for the outrage is that it’s overpriced and DLC practices are something any video game community is wary of, and once they start to charge exorbitant prices like this for little gain that will cause an uprising on its own. Though, competitive players have their own take on the situation as well:
It’s interesting to see the competitive point of view, while Netherrealm Studios has been pretty open about their Pro Kompetition many in the professional Mortal Kombat scene still feel shortchanged by Netherrealm, and that the developer could extend a bit more of a hand to the community. Netherrealm Studio games like Mortal Kombat and Injustice are infamous among the fighting game community for having relatively short shelf lives in the competitive scene, and this lack of monetary support that some pro players have voiced may be one of the big reasons that happens.
Still, this is Netherrealm Studios, who have been particularly receptive to feedback as of late, so while they haven’t officially addressed this situation directly there’s a good chance they will hear the community’s outcries if nothing else and hopefully pull back on their DLC pricing going forward.