POST-LAUNCH SUPPORT AUDIT · VERIFIED
Mortal Kombat 1
NetherRealm Studios · 2023 · Fighting
Did the studio keep supporting this game after launch? This page is the evidence.
AFTERCARE SCORE
57
Tier D · Uneven
Pattern: Fading
See it on SteamStore link opens Steam in a new tab.
LAUNCH CONDITIONMixed
AFTERCARE PATTERNFading
AUDIT STATUSVerified
A strong fighter whose aftercare decayed from ambitious seasons into an early shutdown, kept barely alive by balance hotfixes.
01Score breakdown
Patch speed14 / 20
Maintenance quality12 / 20
Communication11 / 20
Player responsiveness10 / 20
Follow-through10 / 20
Five categories, 20 points each, 100 total. Full method on the methodology page.
02The evidence
Mortal Kombat 1 launched well on PS5, Xbox, and PC but shipped a notoriously bad $70 Switch port, and its Invasions live seasons drew monetization anger. NetherRealm supported it through Khaos Reigns and Kombat Pack 2, but weak expansion sales led WB Games to cancel Kombat Pack 3 and officially end all DLC on May 23, 2025, just 20 months after launch. Balance updates have continued anyway, with a substantial December 2025 hotfix, so the game sits in unofficial maintenance mode.
- Switch port launched in a visibly broken state with severe graphical downgrades, bugs, and delayed Invasions content at full $70 price.
- May 23, 2025 official statement ended all DLC characters and story chapters, with the rumored Kombat Pack 3 cancelled after poor Khaos Reigns sales.
- NetherRealm kept the promise of ongoing balance adjustments, shipping a significant hotfix in December 2025 after a four month gap.
- Player backlash over $10 single fatalities and Invasions paywalls drew one real concession (free bundle for buyers) but monetization posture never fundamentally changed.
03Sources
01Mortal Kombat 1 Won't Receive Any More Story DLC or Characters, NetherRealm Focused on Next ProjectPress reportVisit02Mortal Kombat 1 December 2025 hotfix patch notes releasedIndependent analysisVisit03Mortal Kombat 1's Nintendo Switch port is glitchy and ugly, players sayPress reportVisit04What Went Wrong with Mortal Kombat 1?Independent analysisVisit05Mortal Kombat 1 developer announces 'greedy' $30 Fatalities bundle, angering fansPress reportVisit
04Audit record
- Launch date
- Sep 19, 2023
- Evidence coverage through
- Oct 8, 2026
- Methodology
- v1.0
- Audit confidence
- Medium
- Why this confidence
- Plenty of press coverage of the launch, monetization fights, and the 2025 DLC shutdown, but no direct developer patch cadence archive or Switch post-fix quality measurements to firm up maintenance scores.
- Score band
- Uneven (Tier D)