Mortal Kombat 1 will introduce a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe that has been created by the Fire God Liu Kang, featuring reimagined versions of iconic characters as they’ve never been seen before.

NetherRealm’s genre-defining Story Mode returns with an immersive cinematic narrative featuring unexpected twists on classic rivalries and original backstories for a wide-ranging cast of legendary fighters, including Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Shang Tsung, Johnny Cage, and many others.

Mortal Kombat 1 will also introduce Kameo Fighters, a unique roster of partner characters that can assist during matches, creating expanded gameplay possibilities for players. 

Mortal Kombat 1's Ermac, the latest downloadable content (DLC) fighter set to join the main roster on April 16 as part of the early access period for Kombat Pack owners, followed by wide availability on April 23.

Ermac is a collection of souls bound together by Quan Chi’s dark magic that are intended to function as a group mind. But that spell is temporarily undone when Ermac is defeated by Mileena and the mind of King Jerrod, deceased ruler of Outworld and one of the souls in Ermac’s collection, takes control and rejoins the royal family, aiding Empress Mileena’s reign. Eventually, the amalgam of souls reestablishes control, and Ermac retreats to Outworld's shadows. No longer Quan Chi's slave, nor bound to the royal family, he must find a future worth fighting for. In the new video, Ermac’s devastating moveset is on full display, including his ability to teleport, levitate, and utilize a legion of souls to grab, lift, and slam opponents to the ground.

30+ years ago we were working on the very first Mortal Kombat game. The game's software, had sections of code that it (theoretically) should never reach/execute. If it did, it incremented a counter that would log the ERROR. We also made a "Game Audits" screen where we could check this counter in arcades.

To keep each log short, I wrote an assembler MACRO that would call all the necessary functions in one line of code. The macro was called ERMAC... short for Error Macro.

Unfortunately or fortunately, we listed the number of ERMACS that occurred directly after the log/number of times players fought against REPTILE, who was a hidden fighter in the first Mortal Kombat.

This (of course) made players speculate that ERMAC was another hidden character, like REPTILE. Soon rumors of ERMAC became stuff of legend with players insisting they fought against him. They didn't. :)

In Mortal Kombat 2 we made REPTILE a playable fighter and added 3 new hidden fighters: Smoke, Jade and Noob Saibot. But some players were still looking for Ermac.

For MK3 we decided to turn some of the myths into reality, starting with ANIMALITIES. Finally in Ultimate MK3 (running out of kolors) we finally added ERMAC as an actual (red ninja) fighter in the roster.

Over the years he has made a number of appearances in MK games. Now he has a full story/history and is part of the MK lore.

We never (as in ever) would have guessed this red ninja with a ridiculous name would end up such a big part of Mortal Kombat's history and still be kicking over 30 years later! But here we are, as he is about to join the roster of Mortal Kombat 1

Game play trailer THIS WEEK!

The trailer also provides a first look at Mavado, a new DLC Kameo Fighter who can assist during matches with a range of support moves. Mavado will be available as part of the Kombat Pack and standalone purchase in May 2024.

Mortal Kombat 1 is available for pre-order on all launch platforms*, including:

• Mortal Kombat 1 Standard Edition will be available physically and digitally for $69.99 (SRP) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, including Steam and Epic Games Store.
• Mortal Kombat 1 Premium Edition will be available physically and digitally for $109.99 (SRP) on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and will include all Standard Edition content, along with the Kombat Pack, early access to the game beginning Sept. 14, and 1,250 Dragon Krystals (in-game currency). The Kombat Pack will feature a Johnny Cage character skin with the likeness of famed actor and martial artist, Jean-Claude Van Damme (available at launch), early access to six new playable characters (available post-launch), and five new Kameo Fighters (available post-launch).
• Mortal Kombat 1 Kollector’s Edition will be available physically at select retailers for $249.99 (SRP) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only and will include all Premium Edition content, and early access, along with a 16.5-inch Liu Kang sculpture designed by COARSE and an inspired Liu Kang in-game character skin, three exclusive art prints, a steel case, and 1,450 additional Dragon Krystals (2,700 total).

Mortal Kombat 1 is available for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.