Mortal Kombat 1 will be available five days early to players who purchase the fighting game's Premium Edition.
According to modder and reverse engineer Thethiny, who noticed that Steam updated its Mortal Kombat 1 store listing, players who are willing to pay for the deluxe edition will receive playable character Shang Tsung and five days of early access beginning on September 14.
Surprisingly, the listing also reveals some information about Mortal Kombat 1's microtransactions.
According to the Xbox page for the fighting game, in-game currency Dragon Krystals - 1250 of which will be included in the premium edition - can be used to "purchase cosmetic features for your fighters such as skins, palettes, gear, and more."
Steam have announced that MK1 Premium Edition will indeed support 5 days early access as well.#MK1 #MortalKombat1 pic.twitter.com/2oscVrURfo
— thethiny 🐰 (@thethiny) September 3, 2023
The previously mentioned Shang Tsung, the Johnny Cage skin with a Jean-Claude Van Damme motif, and obviously several packages of in-game cash are also available as DLC.
The balance between offering the violence consumers want and the necessity to sanitize games in order to stream them has been described as a "dilemma" by Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon.
Recently, Boon discussed how crucial it is for influencers and video producers to be able to monetize their Mortal Kombat 1-inspired content, but he also recognized that the existence of a mode that "turned off all the blood or something" would "strip away an entire layer" of Mortal Kombat's core character.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be accessible for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on September 19th for those who do not own the Premium Edition.