Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3, and was the first Mortal Kombat title developed solely for the seventh generation of video game consoles. Its story was written by comic writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. The game was the final entry in the franchise developed by Midway Games before the company went bankrupt in 2009 and sold the franchise to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.


The game's story takes place after Raiden, Earthrealm's god of thunder, and Superman, Metropolis' defender, repel invasions from both their worlds. An attack by both Raiden and Superman simultaneously in their separate universes causes the merging of the Mortal Kombat and DC villains, Shao Kahn and Darkseid, resulting in the creation of Dark Kahn, whose mere existence causes the two universes to begin merging; if allowed to continue, it would result in the destruction of both. Characters from both universes begin to fluctuate in power, becoming stronger or weaker.


Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe received mixed-to-positive reviews. Most reviewers agreed that the game was entertaining and made good use of its DC Universe license, but its lack of unlockable features compared to past installments of Mortal Kombat and toned-down finishing moves garnered some criticism. The game was followed by a Mortal Kombat reboot in 2011, and by Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013.

Development[edit]

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was Midway Games's last project before filing for bankruptcy and selling the rights to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2009.^[12] In February 2007, Midway Games announced they were planning a new game in the Mortal Kombat franchise, inspired by seeing a showcase of Gears of War. "Mortal Kombat 8" would have been "dark, gritty, serious" and a "back to basics reboot" of the series.^[13] Eventually, during the planning process, a deal with DC Comics was made and this project was cancelled, thus leading to the development of a different game.^[14] An announcement in April 2008 confirmed the game as a crossover, and a trailer was released.^[15] The only notable aspect that remained from the original project was the use of the Unreal Engine 3, also used in Gears of War.


Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was co-published by Midway Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and was the final Mortal Kombat title to be developed under the Midway label prior to its purchase by Warner Bros. Interactive.^[16] Midway used AutoDesk software to develop Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, according to Maurice Patel, entertainment industry manager at AutoDesk,^[17] and Illuminate Labs products for lighting.^[18]


The use of a DC license imposed some restrictions on the characteristic violence in Mortal Kombat games. Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe was thus restricted to a "Teen" ESRB rating. Therefore, certain Fatalities such as Sub-Zero's "Spine Rip" were excluded or replaced due to their graphic nature.^[19] In order to keep that rating, two of the Fatalities in the game were censored in North America.^[20][21] In the United Kingdom version, both the Joker and Deathstroke's first Fatality depict them each finishing their opponent with a gunshot to the head, both shown uncut from a distance. The North American version has the camera quickly pan toward the victor before the shot is fired, thereby cutting the victim out of the shot completely.^{[22][23][24][25]} Additionally, one of Kitana's Fatalities which involved impaling the opponent in the head and the torso with her fanblades was modified so that both fanblades impaled her opponent's chest instead.^[26][27]


According to interviews, the characters were chosen for their popularity, and for parallels between them from both universes.^[3] Ed Boon, creative director of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe and co-creator of the Mortal Kombat franchise, has said that some of the characters' abilities, especially those from the DC Universe, had been toned down to make them balanced within Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. For example, Boon specifically mentioned that Superman became vulnerable because of magic.^[28][29] Boon revealed that two new characters were developed as downloadable content, Quan Chi from Mortal Kombat and Harley Quinn from DC comics but had been discarded.^[30] He had also hinted earlier at the prospect of Kung Lao and Doomsday being downloadable characters.^[31]


For the release of the Kollector's Edition of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, a new cover was created by Alex Ross. Also included in the Kollector's Edition is a 16-page comic book prequel, Beginnings, which was illustrated by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias.^[32]


Downloadable content (DLC) had been confirmed by Major Nelson, but was canceled due to Midway's financial issues.^[33][34] Ed Boon had stated that they would have been updating Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe periodically with new content all the way up to the release of the next installment of the Mortal Kombat series: "I'd like to have [DLC] as soon as possible. I think that might be a great Christmas gift to reinvigorate the game".^[35] Ed Boon said on his Twitter account that the plan for DLC had been scrapped, which occurred because, as clarified by 1UP, Midway had filed for bankruptcy and was purchased by Warner Bros. Interactive after the suggestion of downloadable content.^[30][36]


The game features a four hour long, fully motion captured and voiced acted story mode, becoming among the first fighting games to attempt something like this. Ed Boon pitched the idea to Midway Game's artists, animators, and producers, who were initially unwilling on the grounds they felt it was unnecessary and not possible. It required tech and knowledge that was not available at that time, such as the ability for the game to stream a video while at the same time loading the data required for the next fight. The team was also not sold on the idea of fighting game fans wanting a film-inspired "Story mode". Midway's financial crisis also contributed to this decision making. The team pitched alternatives to Ed Boon's idea, such as still images accompanied by music and voiced dialogue, “like you'd see in some fancy comic presentations”. These alternatives frustrated Boon and he used his authority to force the team to develop his pitch as he envisioned.


According to Ed Boon, the team was sold after they completed a single scene transition into gameplay and out of gameplay. Many workers at Midway had skillsets in film, scriptwriting, and animation that they finally got to utilize. DC comics also assisted by employing two writers, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, so Midway would keep the characterization of DC characters consistent. Making sure Midway did not diverge from what DC characters would normally say or do. The work done for Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe's story mode would eventually be seen in future Mortal Kombat games, such as Mortal Kombat 9, and the future Injustice series, developed by Netherrealm Studios from the ashes of Midway Games. Ed Boon viewed the single-player mode as a major source of appeal to casual fans who would have otherwise not paid attention to a fighting game.^[37]