Fighting games are often the victim of rampant rumor-mongering because of how easy it is to “leak” a wish list gussied up as a roster. However, some turn out to have a bit more weight than others. The recent Mortal Kombat 11 cover reveal may not seem like much but it lends credibility to the recent leaked email that talked about incoming gameplay features, the names of a few new characters, and how Ronda Rousey would voice Sonya Blade.
Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat, recently tweeted out the official key art, which features Scorpion against a bright yellow background. But this isn’t the first time this image has floated across the internet. A batch of leaked emails came out in early December with the same cover art. Thus, while still unconfirmed by NetherRealm, everything in that email has garnered a bit more credence because of how it sits next to the official confirmed cover art. The email even shows the two parties discussing which version to go with.
Rousey’s inclusion is one of the bigger leaks from the email. The messages state that she will be at the Mortal Kombat 11 reveal event on January 17 to announce her role as Sonya Blade. Rousey, who starred as herself in 2016’s UFC 2, has talked about her love for games in the past and even stated how she would always play as Kitana. Other celebrities like Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) were listed alongside Rousey in some older unconfirmed rumor batches but were not included in the email.
Some of the gameplay aspects were briefly mentioned including two new characters: Geras and Kronika. It isn’t known who Geras is or who they are related to but Kronika is said to be the woman from the reveal trailer standing next to the giant hourglass. “Chron,” after all, is the Greek word for “time.”
Time feeds into the new rumored Towers of Time, which are likely this game’s version of the Multiverse from Injustice 2. Aside from the vague gameplay changes and custom Variations, the emails also listing “Krushing Blows,” which are still a mystery. However, some rumors have suggested that these are a bit like small X-Ray moves that would happen in the middle of a match similar to what was in the reveal trailer.
The other elements of the email are mostly just internal logistics that discuss the incoming reveal event and other general housekeeping. While the box art is the object that gives weight to the contents of the email, it’s important to remember that very little has been outright confirmed. This is especially true of the overlapping content found in other “leaks” since it is easy to combine more legitimate information with a bunch of nonsense.
