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Ed Boon in a recent interview with Gameinformer stated that Mortal Kombat X is being developed with eSport elements contained within. He previously stated that Mortal Kombat games “have always been casual-friendly games“.

And that he didn’t want players to sit for hours trying to master one specific move.

However it would appear that with Mortal Kombat X though, He’s had a change of heart. The game will be used for eSports so they added a few layers of depth to the game.

In an attempt to compete with the eSports community, Mortal Kombat X has added “character variations”. Each character has three different play styles which adds a bit of complexity to the gameplay. Boon said the character variations will add “something deep and multi-layered” to the game.

Scorpion and Subzero will continue their eternal brawl in Mortal Kombat X.

Boon also said that with Mortal Kombat X, they’ve flown in players from the eSports community to give them feedback. This way, they can see what they like and didn’t like and make adjustments before the game comes out.

They’ve done a similar process too with Mortal Kombat (2011) and Injustice: Gods Among Us as well.

Now this is where it begins to become a competitor game, and leaves the realm of friendy competition with Mortal Komat X. As you can recall from your childhood( if you’ve played MK), it has never been about frame rate measurements or damage counting.

It’s been hardcore smashing and bloody gore, the recipes of the day.

Knowing that Netherrealm studios, and Ed Boon are planning to turn a classic franchise into a competitor sport simply for a few dollars is pretty disheartening. The even worse news is that because of trends such as eSports, fighting games are transformed into figments of themselves once thrown into this realm.

Streetfighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Tekken, Dead or Alive and even Killer Instinct have all fallen to this trend.

The developers implement chaining effects for eSport equivalent titles. As seen in the new Tekken 7 Rage arts will allow players to attack while being attacked—a parry if you will or a buffer attack. Should we continue to see this trend grow, it very well could spell the very end of what we’ve loved as children.

Especially with Mortal Kombat being one of the very last franchises from the 90’s that hadn’t sold itself out.

What do you think of Mortal Kombat going eSport? Let us know in the comments!

About Mortal Kombat X:
Fueled by next-gen technology, Mortal Kombat X combines unparalleled, cinematic presentation with all new gameplay to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever. For the first time ever, Mortal Kombat X gives players the ability to choose from multiple variations of each character impacting both strategy and fighting style.

And with a new fully connected gameplay experience, players are launched into a persistent online contest where every fight matters in a global battle for supremacy.