While the game isn’t quite out yet, NetherRealm Studios has confirmed the existence of Mortal Kombat 11 microtransactions. Assuming they will be spelled with a “K,” they will be called “Time Krystals” and will let the player buy gear and other cosmetics with no gameplay benefit. There will also be no loot boxes in the game.
NetherRealm confirmed this during the recent MK11 Kitana stream. Facilities Manager at NetherRealm Studios Shaun Himmerick talked about how these new Krystals will work. Players can use them as a shortcut to buy cosmetics like highlight intros, gear, skins, Easy Fatality Tokens, and more. None of these impact gameplay, which is why they were implemented.
Players can earn these Time Krystals during gameplay too as well as buying them. Himmerick even stated that the game will “drop a bunch [of Krystals]” on players. He also said that they weren’t “required” to get everything.
According to him, all the cosmetics can also be earned in the game without Time Krystals. Himmerick also stated that the team did not want “pay to win” systems as there are many competitive players on the staff who scoffed at the idea. This aligns nicely with the community’s desires, as Himmerick said they were outspoken about not giving advantages to people who pay more. It also helps that gear is separated from stats this time around.
This is different from Injustice 2. Gameplay stats were tied to the gear in that game, which meant selling gear would have given an edge to paying players in the non-tournament modes. However, players could buy Source Crystals to buy shaders that colored the gear. Some of the shaders could only be purchased as they weren’t available any other way. This currency was rare in the game but could be earned through completing certain Multiverses and the story mode along with other miscellaneous challenges.
Mortal Kombat X also had microtransactions. Players could buy Easy Fatality Tokens, which were used to perform fatalities without only two buttons: the block button and one of the face buttons. These weren’t too useful as you could still pause the game and look up the fatality input.
