Key Highlights:
- Story director Dominic Cianciolo says Mortal Kombat 1 contains 24 characters.
- Not every character will receive equal Story Mode screen time, with intro dialogue and ladder endings providing additional characterisation.
- Not every character will receive equal Story Mode screen time, with intro dialogue and ladder endings providing additional characterisation.
Mortal Kombat 1 contains 24 characters, according to story director Dominic Cianciolo, who has explained how NetherRealm Studios is balancing a large cast across the game’s narrative.
Speaking to Temple of Geek during a San Diego Comic-Con interview, Cianciolo said:
“We have 24 characters in the game.”
His comments came while discussing the challenge of fitting established and returning characters into Mortal Kombat 1’s rewritten timeline. Cianciolo acknowledged that not every fighter can receive the same amount of Story Mode screen time.
NetherRealm therefore uses other parts of the game to expand characterisation. Cianciolo specifically pointed to pre-fight intro dialogue and traditional ladder endings as additional ways of developing fighters beyond the main campaign.
The roster itself is not selected by the story team alone. Cianciolo explained that Ed Boon, other NetherRealm developers and fan demand all contribute to deciding which characters return.
By this point, NetherRealm had formally revealed 15 Main Fighters, with Geras becoming the latest addition through the Keepers of Time trailer. His return expanded a roster already containing Liu Kang, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, Kung Lao, Kitana, Mileena, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Smoke, Rain, Li Mei, Tanya and Baraka.
Shang Tsung had also been announced separately as a playable pre-order character.
That still leaves several identities unconfirmed, making the remaining roster slots one of Mortal Kombat 1’s biggest unanswered questions ahead of launch.
The game’s post-launch roster is already clearer. Kombat Pack 1 contains Omni-Man, Quan Chi, Peacemaker, Ermac, Homelander and Takeda Takahashi as six downloadable Fighters.
I think Cianciolo’s comments are more interesting for what they reveal about the story than the raw number itself. A 24-character cast gives NetherRealm plenty of familiar faces to work with, but his explanation makes clear that Story Mode cannot give every fighter equal prominence.
Instead, Mortal Kombat 1 is spreading character development across its cinematic campaign, pre-fight dialogue and ladder endings, allowing fighters with smaller Story Mode roles to receive additional context elsewhere.
The develoers have more exciting plans in store, with a larger beta scheduled for later this month, offering players an even more immersive experience.
