At least as far as mainstream Western audiences are concerned, Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter remain top dogs in the fighting game market. With well over two decades of history, both franchises have spanned multiple console and player generations, always innovating in order to bring in new fans to join the old guard, as it were.
But despite the long-running popularity of both series, not once has a crossover between both ever occurred. For a genre that arguably boasts more collaborative projects and spinoffs than any other, that such a merging remains unrealized is bizarre, to say the least. Capcom especially, who’s partnered with Marvel, SNK, Namco and many others during its tenure, would jump at the chance to have a game jam with NetherRealm Studios, right?
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
Eurogamer recently had a chance to sit down with Street Fighter V executive producer Yoshinori Ono and pick his brain over a number of topics, including a potential Mortal Kombat collaboration. When asked whether he was specifically responsible for rejecting said proposal, Ono replied:
It’s true that a proposal for a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat was rejected by Capcom. But it wasn’t me personally! There were many people at the company that felt that it wasn’t a good fit for our characters. I actually met Ed at the Brazil game show and spoke to him personally about it. So it’s true – but I didn’t make the decision!
When prompted to clarify if the project never came to be due to the view that neither series meshes well, Ono confirms “That was the major concern of our licensing.”
Sad news for fans on both sides, but then again, Capcom’s reluctance isn’t all too surprising. There’s a reason why the majority of Mortal Kombat‘s guest characters hail from horror films, and it’s certainly not to promote a universal age appeal.
Never say never, of course, but for now, Mortal Kombat 11Â players will just have to make do with the current line-up of DLC headed their way.
