Just two weeks after the release of guest character Predator; the fourth and final Kombat Pack kombatant has been fasttracked to downloadable content. Brace yourself for the coming of Tremor with a live developer demonstration later today, 3:00 CDT!
Tremor debuted in a trailer featured live during the finals of the Evo World Championship. The stream featured record viewers, peaking at over 180,000 watchers in the early timeslot [full story].
Kombat Pack holders are scheduled to receive Tremor and Klassic Skins Pack 2 starting today, July 21st. As standard, both will be available for individual purchase through online stores one week later - Tuesday, July 28th.
The sudden push to conclude Kombat Pack DLC obligations will further fuel speculation that there is more Mortal Kombat X downloadable content on the horizon. Unplayable character models and surprise omissions seeded early belief the 2015 fighter launched with extensive plans in place. NetherRealm Studios' post-launch extras were expanded to six characters for 2013's Injustice: Gods Among Us, including; Zatanna and controversially absent 2013 Evo reveal: Martian Manhunter. Mortal Kombat X introduced further micro-transaction unlocks in 2015 [full story].
Be watching the Kombat Kast stream live [above] on Mortal Kombat Online! Register to immortalize your thoughts on the Mortal Kombat X forum. Spread the word by liking this story via @MK_Online & Facebook.
More than 188,000 viewers tuned in to watch Mortal Kombat X live at the Evo World Championships on Sunday.
This peak ranked MKX third among Evo broadcast finals, beating Marvel vs Capcom 3 by roughly 20,000 viewers, and trailing only Super Smash Bros. Melee and Evo darling Ultimate Street Fighter IV. Both top finals crossed the 200,000 viewer mark, with USFIV peaking at over 228k on the official stream. This year was pegged to be the celebratory swansong for SFIV as Capcom's primary fighter, with Street Fighter V coming in 2016. Guilty Gear Xrd trailed at around 121,000 viewers.
This year's performance clearly confirmed what many fans already knew: Mortal Kombat is at home on the competitive world stage!
In truth, Mortal Kombat had already established its credentials as a tournament brand over the course of three years on the Evo bill.
It began in 2011 -- rewriting the script on the competitive viability of the series with the release of Mortal Kombat. The franchise reboot combined iconic identity of the original three games with a rethink of their basic gameplay mechanics. The year that came next was arguably the biggest in the games' competitive lifecycle, helped by an Evo seeding series that incorporated top North American tournaments into a yearlong tour. The 2012 Evo Championship was the culmination of a 6 month narrative that gave rise to top players -- runner-up REO, CD Jr, Ketchup and Mustard -- whose status warranted a documentary featurette series released in 2013.
The establishment of these player identities was important in helping sites like Mortal Kombat Online convey the intrigue of the scene in an accessible manner -- a factor all too often overlooked by the insular culture.
Growth came naturally and the series sustained as all good fighters should -- making it all the more shocking when Mortal Kombat was omitted from the Evo Championship line-up in 2014 [full story].
The rise of another NetherRealm Studios fighter - Injustice: Gods Among Us - was perhaps over estimated as a replacement, while Mortal Kombat was simultaneously under estimated as a continued force. Mortal Kombat Online pitched in prizes to support an unofficial 2014 side tournament. The event attracted the tournament faithful and marked a coming out for dominant 2015 player & winner Sonic Fox. The side event went on to be the most watched MK2011 Evo final on YouTube with a flood of 260,000 views [reported by EventHubs]. At the time of this writing, the unofficial 2014 final has over 570,.000 views.
The series returned to its rightful place with the April release of Mortal Kombat X and the announcement of the 2015 Evo line-up. It was a no brainer. And while top players were pragmatic about MK's omission in 2014, the continued support of fans and the audience shows this is a series that demands attention, and deserves a place at the biggest event on the eSports calendar as much as perennial favourites.
Speaking to Mortal Kombat Online after the Evo announcement, Brant "Pig of the Hut" McCaskill said, "I also felt the EVO side tournament - that went off extremely successfully - was a big wake up that when MKX drops it'll be bigger than we all anticipated."
With hundreds of participants and many tens of thousands watching live - it was very big.
The Richter scale was off the charts in Las Vegas as NetherRealm Studios unveiled their latest downloadable character: Tremor! The obscure klassic was reborn in front of the world as they waited for the finals of the 2015 Evo World Championship in the arena, and live on stream!
Debuting as a ninja heavy for the Black Dragon clan in 2000 shooter spin-off: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces; Tremor has shed his bulky palette swap origins to encase himself in rock and minerals in Mortal Kombat X!
True to his gaming backstory; Tremor battles arch-rival Jax in the gameplay trailer, along with klassic skinned Kung Lao, Quan Chi & Scorpion! The former three will download bundled with Tremor as part of the Kombat Pack on July 21st, going live for individual purpose one week alter on the 28th. Klassic Skins Pack 2 were previewed with the most recent Compatibility Patch.
Tremor arrives after a lengthy fan campaign courted more than 5000 signatures petitioning for his long awaited inclusion [full story]. Speaking to Mortal Kombat Online, series co-creator John Tobias explained, "I do remember having big plans for Tremor..." Mortal Kombat X will mark Tremor's first time as a playable character.
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As the 2015 Evo World Championships reach their climax, Mortal Kombat X fans will have even more to look forward to than a new World Champion! Developers NetherRealm Studios will unveil the fourth and final character in their downloadable content Kombat Pack - Tremor! It comes just one year after the Evo reveal of Raiden!
The Evo exclusive trailer will stream to the web during the Mortal Kombat X finals programming block, which begins at 11AM PDT. You can watch it live right here and discuss all the action on the Mortal Kombat X forum!
Tremor returns to the series as a first-time playable character in Mortal Kombat X who debuted in 2000 third-person shooter spin-off: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. Tremor reprised his role as a rival for MKSF star Jax when he made a surprise cameo in Mortal Kombat Vita in 2012. Tremor is reborn in MKX, expanding his burly groundshaking power to a more literal, rock-skinned and earth manipulating end. This version appears inspired by popular fan-fiction, including a new design reminiscent of the work of Kold War Scorpion designer - fear-sas [full story].
Learn more about the history of Tremor in Mortal Kombat Online's 2012 feature article, and in Part 2 of our anniversary interview with series co-creator John Tobias.
Tremor may be the end of the advertised Kombat Pack, but not necessarily the end of DLC. Compatibility Patches continue to deliver free bonus content, with expectations and rumors already pointing toward subsequent releases. Series Creative Director Ed Boon shared some of his bonus content wishlist - including klassic arenas.
Future DLC will have to contend with new plans from Capcom, who announced free in-game unlock currency for their next generation sequel Street Fighter V and post-launchcontent. Warner Brothers has already faced criticism for Mortal Kombat X's online services, pre-order allocation, and downloadable content, including controversial "easy fatality" and unlock micro-transactions. The change in each company's policy may reverse player impressions, as Capcom promise more transparent and generous offerings, and Warner Bros become more aggressive with monetization.
As announced in January, finally Mortal Kombat has returned to Las Vegas for the Evo World Championships! After a years hiatus from the official July line-up, the most brutal US fighter has made its comeback - challenging the world's greatest kombatants in the multi-variation system of Mortal Kombat X! More than 1.000 players are registered to contest this year's World Championship - with unofficial 2014 winner Sonic Fox charging the tournament as the overwhelming favourite! Looming over him will be the official defending Mortal Kombat World Champion DJT - whose victory at the 2013 World Championship ended the streak of Evo powerhouse Perfect Legend!
Take in all the sights and sounds of the tournament on the main Evo stream [embedded below], including the Mortal Kombat X Championship Sunday, 11:00AM! Saturday Semi Finals feature at 8:00PM, with more Mortal Kombat X streaming on the 7th Evo Stream.
This year's Mortal Kombat X Evo World Championship is contested on the PlayStation 4 console with standard best of 3 games at 99 second rounds. Recent DLC addition Predator has been ruled illegal, with versions patched up to July 8th. This includes recent patch tweaks to modify Tanya and other characters. Winners must retain the same character and variation.
SonicFox5000 will be looking to convert his dominance over ESL Season One, East Coast Throwdown and The Common Wealth 2015 to follow his monumental cash win with more dollars and his first official Evo Championship. Royal Storm Kitana has been his instrument of destruction of late, evolving from his much talked about Erron Black that left many victims in his wake!
Defending 2013 World Champion DJT got into form at the right time, capturing CEO 2015 in the final major on the road to Evo. DJT was absent from the ESL finals - setting up an exciting possible meeting with the unofficial 2014 champ - SonicFox. DJT told Mortal Kombat Online, "I will definitely be competing in MKX to try and be the first one to win the biggest tournament. Then I will have bragging rights for an entire year and be called EVO champ every other day.
I'm going for nothing but top 8 minimum. I want to be on that big stage. I love the feeling and excitement even though my face is so calm all the time when I am playing."
2-time Evo World Champion Perfect Legend may be limping slightly after finishing 4th in the ESL Season One Final. His online focus leaves question marks about his readiness to challenge the field he swept in 2011 and 2012. His Kung Lao struggled with new school rival Sonic Fox and classic arch-rival REO!
REO took runners-up honors in the final of ESL Season One, stumbling in two encounters with SonicFox. A switch from Kobu Jutsu Tanya to Bone Shaper Shinnok helped REO prove the SonicFox could bleed, but will he be able to convert a single game win to a World Championship under the intense lights of Las Vegas? He's been there before, losing out to World Champions in 2011 and 2013. Some say he's overdue, with a pedigree of titles in the last Mortal Kombat that proves he has what it takes to hold the gold!
Another man who put Sonic Fox under pressure is Mortal Kombat Online favourite Pig of the Hut. In 2014, he was responsible for organizing the unofficial Evo Championship. This year he brings his mastery of the blind sword saint Kenshi in the hopes of again forcing the scene's most dominant new force to make a desperation decision. When the game was announced for Evo, Pig of the Hut told Mortal Kombat Online, "I will be extremely focused on MKX and only MKX for EVO. I have a list of immediate "TO-DOs" and training regime already written out for it when it drops... " He will bring with him the humility and knowledge of past experiences, "Lessons learned and the journey i went through from rock bottom to damn near almost winning EVO (placing 2nd) in Injustice are lessons i will take into MKX." Don't think that means he'll be playing it safe, though: "Sooner or later Im going to be a massive problem for anyone in my bracket."
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