Trailer for disastrous Mortal Kombat 1 Switch release contains a Steam achievement popup

News
By published

Something is telling us this trailer might not represent actual Switch gameplay.

Johnny Cage Switch graphics
(Image credit: NetherRealm Studios)

The unmistakable silhouette of an unfinished, in-development Steam Achievement popup appears in the trailer for Mortal Kombat 1's Switch edition (via Kotaku), a trailer which is noticeably prettier than the actual, decidedly wonky-looking Switch version.

"Yooo I can't believe that Nintendo finally put an achievement system on the switch after so long," joked a viewer in the YouTube comments, where the trailer is getting the expected roasting.

The achievement popup appears in the bottom right corner of the trailer footage during a section on new gameplay modes. "Achievement 38, Description 38," it says—a pretty familiar format for anyone who has seen what an in-progress or development build game looks like on Steam. Seeing that, it's hard to believe that the rest of the trailer contains any footage from the Switch version of MK1.

It's not uncommon for videogame trailers to be captured on PC, or via PCs attached to development kits for game consoles, instead of retail console hardware. There is at least a tiny, half-transparent message at the start of the trailer: "Footage Not Final." When you actually compare the footage to what Switch players have, however, it really doesn't match up.

It's definitely a bit of salt in the wound for Switch players, who got what we called a "terrifyingly hilarious" version of Mortal Kombat 1. Jokes about the upsetting eyes and flat textures have been doing the rounds, but people who spent $60 on the low-end port are peeved, and developer NetherRealm has acknowledged that the Switch port is in bad shape.

You can see the achievement popup during the official trailer (embedded above) at 1:52, which is still on the Nintendo YouTube channel as I write. We know game publishers make their games looks as pretty as they can in trailers, and accept a certain amount of optimizing and choreography, but after watching raw MK1 Switch footage on social media and then watching the trailer, it's the most blatant "bullshot" I've seen in years.

Jonathan Bolding
Contributor

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.