Mortal Kombat 1 On The Switch Controversy

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Overview

Mortal Kombat 1 On The Switch Controversy refers to the public outcry about the performance of the 2023 fighting game Mortal Kombat 1 on the Nintendo Switch console, particularly the perceived low quality of the graphics. After the release of the video game in mid-September 2023, social media users voiced their outrage about the game being $70 on the Switch despite looking significantly worse than its counterparts on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Background

After the release of Mortal Kombat 1 on September 14th, 2023, social media was quickly flooded with complaints about how the game looked on the Switch. On September 15th, Twitter user @deftonesfan273^[1] tweeted an example of the game's graphics on the Switch, saying they wanted a refund (shown below).

moreno @deftonesfan273 lol i had nintendo refund me cuz this s--- is unacceptable 5:07 PM Sep 15, 2023 You're no better than Shang Tsung's monstrosities. TEAMER :

Developments

Over the following days, more examples of the game's poor performance on the Switch went viral on the platform. On September 16th, 2023, X user @SavinTheBees^[2] posted a direct comparison of a scene on the Switch and the PS5, showcasing the significant downgrade of graphics on the Switch. The post gained over 5,500 retweets and 93,000 likes in three days (shown below, left).

On September 17th, X user @SynthPotato^[3] posted a series of comparisons, gaining over 2,700 retweets and 23,000 likes in two days (shown below, right).

Plathanos @SavinTheBees The MK Switch version is disrespectful PS5 P 11:18 PM. Sep 16, 2023 NINTENDO SWITCH :

Synth Potato (Ameer) @SynthPotato Crying at the Switch version of Mortal Kombat 1, Why didn't they just wait for the next gen switch console, the fact it costs 70$ is robbery PS5 NINTENDO SWITCH ANIMATIONS NINTENDO SWITCH Last edited 5:26 AM Sep 17, 2023 TABMOX J ...

It was also roasted on TikTok. On September 17th, TikToker Johniibo posted a video saying purchasing the game on the Switch wasn't worth it, gaining over 23,000 likes in two days (shown below, left). On the 18th, user @brewsngames posted a video about the game's poor performance on Switch, gaining over 600 likes in two days (shown below, right).

@johniibo Mortal Kombat 1 is not worth it on Nintendo Switch #gaming #nintendo #nintendoswitch ♬ original sound – Johniibo

@brewsngames #mortalkombat #mortalkombat1 #mk11 #gaming #nintendo #switch #gamingontiktok #mortalkombatscorpion #gamingvideos #fyp ♬ Mortal Kombat (1992) – Theme Song – Techno Syndrome – Geek Music

The spread of complaints led to media coverage of the graphical issues on the Switch. Articles about the complaints appeared in Eurogamer,^[4] Kotaku,^[5] IGN^[6] and others. This led series creator Ed Boon to give a statement that the issues would be fixed soon.^[7]