Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch will be fixed, says Ed Boon

NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon has promised the Nintendo Switch version of MK1 will be updated.

21 Sep 2023 9:54

Leah J. Williams

Nintendo

Screenshot: Chris in Color / YouTube

Since launch, the Nintendo Switch version of NetherRealm’s excellent Mortal Kombat 1 has become something of a meme due to its poor graphics and performance. In screenshots shared online, players have compared the game to its other console counterparts, pointing out a variety of glaring issues that render MK1 on Switch barely playable.

Beyond expected stutters, strange visual glitches and smooth, undetailed character models have been widely criticised. Characters like Mileena have entered the uncanny valley on Nintendo Switch, with her eyes rendered as pin-point dots that pop out of her head, and her mouth featuring odd, fleshy tendrils and broken teeth.

Every other character in the game shares similar features: bug eyes, weirdly smooth skin, blocky hair that moves in uncanny fashion, and a lack of costume detail. While these sacrifices have likely been made to ensure Mortal Kombat 1 can run on the Nintendo Switch, the severity of the graphical downgrade has many wondering why the game launched on the console at all. Similar issues plagued the release of the previous game, Mortal Kombat 11, on the platform as well.

Read: Mortal Kombat 1 – Review in Progress

Following a week of memes and criticism, NetherRealm Studios’ Ed Boon has now spoken out about the many issues facing the Nintendo Switch version of the game, recently telling BBC Newsbeat that the studio will continue to work on this port, to ensure fixes for egregious bugs and visual glitches.

“[It will] absolutely be getting an update,” Boon reportedly said. “And a number of the concerns of the issues that had come up will absolutely be addressed. It would have been ideal for us to have released the version that we absolutely wanted. But anything that we’re finding a problem with is on our list and is going to be fixed.”

Boon has promised that the Nintendo Switch version of the game will be supported going forward, much like how Mortal Kombat 11 was in the weeks following launch, with anything that’s “not acceptable” being addressed in future updates.

While these may take some time, there is hope that post-launch updates will improve Mortal Kombat 1‘s performance on Nintendo Switch, and refresh some of those more uncanny character models – so stay tuned if you’re somebody who’s opted to check out this version of the new release.

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Leah J. Williams

Leah is an experienced entertainment and gaming journalist. With industry-leading knowledge at producing features, social, written and video content about video games and the entertainment sectors.