A Brand-New Mortal Kombat Project Is Blowing Up on Kickstarter

Fight!: Mortal Kombat 1 is a new Kickstarter card game based on Mortal Kombat that’s quickly garnered tons of attention. The Mortal Kombat project has already received over double its funding goal from the community. The Kickstarter campaign still has 26 days to go, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll need it.

Fight!: Mortal Kombat 1 is an analogue card game being developed by Cryptozoic Entertainment, the creator behind other successful Kickstarter card projects including Adventure Time Card Wars and DC Deck-Building Game: Arkham Asylum. With this latest collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, the company has set its sights on the Mortal Kombat universe. Considering there won’t be any more Mortal Kombat 1 content coming, this card game could help bridge the gap between Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios’ projects.

New Mortal Kombat Game Might Not Be What Players Expected, But It’s Already Shaping Up to Be a Big Success

Cryptozoic Entertainment launched the Kickstarter campaign for Fight!: Mortal Kombat 1 on March 3, and it has already amassed more than double its funding goal. At the time of writing, the project had received $170,275 in community funding with a goal of $75,000. The project features popular series Kombatants, including Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage, Kitanna, and Raiden, among others.

The card game features new, original art created specifically for the game. There are already three expansions planned, Brutality, Deadly Alliance, and Kameo, as well as 2D standing figures to give some depth to the game. Card mats and card sleeves are also available. The Kickstarter campaign ends March 26, and campaign backers can expect to receive preorder items in early 2026.

Cryptozoic developed the game as a dynamic experience with two-player action at its core. However, the game can be played with more, though Cryptozoic doesn’t specify where it caps out. Each player chooses a Kombatant card to play as, each with its own special ability. For example, Scorpion can use his Hell’s Hook ability with a Kombo card. The game also features attack, defense, and fatality cards. Each player begins the round with 20 health, which can be damaged and defended.

If a player’s health falls to zero, they lose 5 Victory Points, and a new round begins. Reducing the opponents’ health to zero allows the attacker to use fatality cards. The Fight!: Mortal Kombat 1 player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. Until the next Mortal Kombat video game release, which could be impacted by external factors, this upcoming card game and Mortal Kombat movie will have to suffice. The next Mortal Kombat game might sound a bit different, too.

With Paramount-Skydance recently succeeding in its goal to squash the Netflix/Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition and now poised to acquire the company itself, Warner Bros. Gaming’s future is a bit murky. NetherRealm Studios is owned by Warner Bros. Gaming, which means, if the deal is approved, Paramount will own the studio.

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)
Medium (7)
Hard (10)

Start

Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.

Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)Start

While it’s not clear just yet when or how the sale may impact Warner Bros. Games, it could mean serious changes to the next iteration of Mortal Kombat. Acquisitions can sometimes lead to major restructuring and budget cuts, which could impact studios owned by the company, like NetherRealm. The Paramount-Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, which means July through September.

On a more positive note, it seems like Mortal Kombat fans will have plenty of content to hold them over until the next official Mortal Kombat video game is announced. The Mortal Kombat 2 movie is slated for release on May 8, 2026, which features Karl Urban’s Johnny Cage as the protagonist, and the Fight!: Mortal Kombat 1 card game will release after its Kickstarter campaign ends.