Author: Ian "iantothemax" Walker

While Mortal Kombat X has enjoyed a hugely successful launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, folks who went with the PC version were provided a less than stable product upon release. Crashes, bugs, and a general shoddiness put a dark cloud over what could have been an excellent product.

Fortunately, NetherRealm Studios took notice, and has been working in conjunction with third-party developer High Voltage Software to make the necessary corrections. Multiple updates have been released thus far, but one in particular will hopefully bring PC fans the parity they deserve.

According to creative director Ed Boon, the next Mortal Kombat X patch–on schedule to drop tomorrow–will bring “huge improvements” to the PC title. Though specifics weren’t stated, Boon and his fellow Kombat Kast hosts promised that this update will make the Steam version operate just like its counterparts on home consoles.

Tomorrow is a big day for the Mortal Kombat universe with the release of Jason Voorhees as a playable character, so let’s hope PC players will soon be able to take part in some unhindered fun as well.

Source: NetherRealm Studios

During today’s Kombat Kast, NetherRealm Studios creative director Ed Boon joined the show to make a couple of very special announcements concerning Mortal Kombat X’s appearances at upcoming tournaments.

Community Effort Orlando 2015 and Combo Breaker will each be receiving $10,000 from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm to add to the prize pools of their events, both of which are set split their bonuses among the top eight finalists. These funds are being provided by sales of the Blue Steel Sub-Zero skin.

Although still in its infancy when compared to other competitive titles, Mortal Kombat X has been gaining some incredible steam over the past month. Despite inconsistent online play, ESL’s pre-season cups have seen relatively stable numbers from week to week, and Northwest Majors 7 provided an excellent showing for the title as the first major to include it in competition. Furthermore, this year’s East Coast Throwdown will see the likes of Street Fighter and Marvel cast aside to make Mortal Kombat the tournament’s main event.

Combined with the aforementioned details, these bonuses are sure to boost Mortal Kombat X’s presence as the competitive season soldiers on. The developers also mentioned there’s more to come, so stay tuned.

For more details on Community Effort Orlando 2015 and Combo Breaker, be sure to visit their respective websites.

Source: NetherRealm, images courtesy of CEO Gaming and Combo Breaker.

Starting tomorrow, Mortal Kombat X will see its first round of downloadable characters begin with the release of Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees. While a trailer was release this morning, the folks at NetherRealm Studios are set to provide more details about his gameplay during today’s special Kombat Kast, streaming live now.

To catch it all, be sure to tune in below or head on over to Twitch.

Watch live video from NetherRealm on www.twitch.tv

Source: NetherRealm Studios

Starting on April 30, the Killer Instinct developers began collecting all of the funds accrued by downloadable content sales into a special community fund. This money, they announced, would be used to bolster prize pools at various fighting game events across the country as a way to give back to the fans who have made their game a success thus far.

With a cap of $100,000, I personally thought there would be a good amount of time and various updates between the beginning of the campaign and when that goal was met, but boy was I wrong. According to new details released by Microsoft community manager Mike Robles, the community reached that total in just three days.

This ridiculous amount of money brings with it some added perks. Evo 2015’s Killer Instinct prize pool will receive half of that amount, giving high-level players a ton more to look forward to as the world’s largest fighting game tournament rapidly approaches. Additionally, the developers are set to turn Shadow Jago into more than just a skin by giving him access to a competition-ready version of his boss moveset.

If you’re still interested in picking up the elusive Shadow Jago skin, the new Community Bundle will be available until May 14.

Source: Microsoft Studios

As part of their new tournament-supporting efforts, the folks at Microsoft has made a special Killer Instinct bundle available to the public. For twenty bucks, players will be able to get their hands on the limited Shadow Jago skin as well as a bunch of in-game currency for buying unlockables.

All proceeds collected with this and other downloadable content will go into a special community fund with a maximum cap of $100,000, set aside to boost the prize pools of various Killer Instinct tournaments. The largest portion of this–up to $50,000–will go to Evo 2015.

Not only that, but should the community reach the upper limit of this promotion, the Killer Instinct developers will flesh out Shadow Jago’s gameplay, making him a unique character instead of just a skin.

Even though this bundle appeared a day before the fundraiser is set to begin, don’t worry about purchasing it as soon as possible; all the money collected will still go towards the community pot.

Killer Instinct’s Shadow Jago community bundle will be available until May 14.

Sources: Xbox Live, Ultra-Combo

We recently learned quite a bit about Skullgirls 2nd Encore, the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita port of Lab Zero Games’ indie fighter. While fans won’t be treated to a free upgrade if they own an older version, these upcoming releases will feature cross-buy (meaning a purchase of the console title will net you the handheld one and vice versa) and cross-platform netplay, allowing even those on PlayStation 3 to enjoy the influx of new players.

But that’s not all. Earlier today, the developers updated the game’s official website with a listing of all the new features included in Skullgirls 2nd Encore. The most noteworthy in an aesthetic sense is certainly the fully-voiced story, but Lab Zero is also looking to make great strides with a brand new trial mode.

Unlike other games, which often throw somewhat obscure concepts and strings at players, Skullgirls’ trials will incorporate competition-ready combos, from basic bread and butters to more complex fare, in an effort to work newcomers into the fold gradually with useful information.

All in all, Skullgirls 2nd Encore is shaping up to be a worthy addition to the franchise’s tumultuous timeline. More details on the port’s new content can be found by following the link below.

Source: Lab Zero Games via NeoGAF