Mortal Kombat 1 will feature Jean-Claude Van Damme, but only for those that want to pay for the $109.99 Premium Edition. NetherRealm and Warner Bros. have finally given Mortal Kombat 1 its official reveal, confirming some of the characters that will be featured on the roster, story details, and more.
The official Mortal Kombat 1 reveal trailer confirmed the game's title, eight returning characters (with Johnny Cage later confirmed as the game's ninth playable character), and that Liu Kang becoming the Fire God is the canon ending for Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath. More information on Mortal Kombat 1 has come to light since the reveal trailer dropped, including what fans can expect from the Premium and Kollector's Edition versions of the game.
Mortal Kombat 1 pre-orders will be going live on May 19, at which point fans of the franchise will have three versions to choose from. There will be the standard $69.99 version, of course, but there will also be a $109.99 Premium Edition that comes with early access (making the game playable on September 14 instead of September 19), 1,250 Dragon Krystals (the game's microtransactions), and the Kombat Pack. The Kombat Pack comes with a Johnny Cage skin that makes him look like Jean-Claude Van Damme, early access to six DLC characters, and five new Kameo Fighters. There will also be a Kollector's Edition for $249.99 for PS5 and Xbox Series X that comes with all of that plus a 16.5-inch Liu Kang sculpture from COARSE, a Liu Kang in-game character skin, three art prints, a steel case, and 1,450 more Dragon Krystals for a total of 2,700.
What's interesting about Jean-Claude Van Damme's inclusion is that it brings the Mortal Kombat franchise full circle. Originally, the plan was for the original Mortal Kombat game to feature Van Damme in a starring role. Those plans fell through, but Johnny Cage was made as a replacement for Van Damme. With this new game being called Mortal Kombat 1, it's especially fitting that Johnny Cage is getting a Jean-Claude Van Damme skin.
Johnny Cage was nowhere to be seen in the Mortal Kombat 1 reveal trailer, but fans can count on him being a part of the base roster when the game launches in September. Those that want the Jean-Claude Van Damme skin are going to have to spring for the $109.99 Premium Edition, but for hardcore Mortal Kombat fans, it may very well be worth the price of admission, especially with early access and DLC characters thrown into the mix.
Mortal Kombat 1 launches September 19 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X.