Discussion Maximizing the Longevity of MKXL

[TackyHaddock]

As cool as Injustice 2 may be, I’d be very disappointed if the MKXL scene withered up and died as soon as the Injustice sequel is released. Like many people here, I put a lot of time into training in this game and don’t want it to all be in vain or a waste of time. I want to see this game thrive as long as possible.

How to make that happen and potential concerns:

While there were many hype moments at Final Round, it was somewhat of a downer to see the dissipation of the crowd for grand finals and the general anti-climactic nature of it. Some may attribute that to the characters used, the players that made it to the grand finals or some combination of factors. There was a stark contrast to see how a huge crowd was cheering for Sonic Fox against Tokkido in SFV, and then right after that he went over to play in MKXL grand finals where there were nursing home levels of hype. Nothing against Fox or Dragon, both indisputably elite players, but this was just my observation.

Regardless of how that tournament ended, I firmly believe there is still a substantial amount of hype moments that can be made possible in the future of this game. Here are some factors that I think could boost the game’s longevity:

· ESL season 3: needs to happen, will be infinitely better with the new netcode, balance changes and new characters

· Remove the remaining hype killing character features: I am in particular thinking of the Tarkatan rekkas, as they are essentially a reincarnation of the old Kobu but worse. The goal here is to eliminate boredom.

· Kombat Pack 3: I know this is unlikely given the timing of the next game, but that kind of gets to my original point. Injustice 2 should not reduce the potential lifespan of MKXL by virtue of its release date alone. If MKXL has more potential content that would clearly have demand in the marketplace, they should squeeze every bit of juice out of it.

· Continued NRS contribution to pot bonuses: $$$ incentive to keep tournaments stacked.

What do you think can be done to extend the game’s lifespan?

 

[GAV]

As the hearts and minds of the casuals go, so will go the rest...

There is competition: SFV, Pokken, Tekken, and games of other genres. MKXL is tremendous, but when Injustice 2 comes out - it will be to breathe new life into the interest of NRS games - and not to suck the life out of MKXL.

MKXL is glorious right now, but by the time Injustice 2 comes out - everyone will be feening for it.

 

[Compbros]

What will help keep the game alive after their next game? A good amount of players coming out to tournaments and playing the game. It doesn't matter if it gets support for the next 5 years if people stop playing it and it doesn't matter if it gets no support if people come out to tournaments and play. Play the game and it will live, drop the game and it will die.

 

[Classic Malt]

As the hearts and minds of the casuals go, so will go the rest...

There is competition: SFV, Pokken, Tekken, and games of other genres. MKXL is tremendous, but when Injustice 2 comes out - it will be to breathe new life into the interest of NRS games - and not to suck the life out of MKXL.

MKXL is glorious right now, but by the time Injustice 2 comes out - everyone will be feening for it.

It worked fo KI somehow so why shouldn't it work for "MKXXL"? I bet there are enough people eager to go for the KP3 I mean just look how KP2 brought back many players who had abandoned the game. Please NRS make it happen.

 

[Crusty]

I feel NRS has a chance to support both games. That way it would help their reputation.

 

[N00B]

Kombat pack 3 needs to happen. Bi-Han should come back with freezing and shadow powers in all variations. And ofc with buffs for Immortal Thunder God Raiden and Kung Fu Master Kung Lao.
Or this game would be not fun and dead for me.

 

[kantboy-2]

Injustice died in less than a year, but the mobile game still goes strong.

Most console players don't want the hassle, but continuous releases of bonus skins through the mobile game will ensure people come back to unlock content and maintain the scene active.

If they don't want to commit to a whole kombat pack, then do a new character (Rain, Fujin, etc..) once a year and include it with the latest patch.

Unique skin packs for that help pay pot bonuses. Blue Steel and Crimson are cool and all but I'm sure people would gladly pay for a Shaolin Monks (Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Scorpion, Sub-Zero) pack if it helps pay tournament pots.

ESL is great and all, but WB/Netherrealm should go the way of Rocket League and pressure Sony/MS for cross-platform play.

 

[TQT1995]

Don't make Alien op lol

 

[FluffyKittenPops]

I was thinking about this the other day. I really enjoy mkx and hope it doesn't die out. I wish NRS would just keep the game for awhile and add costumes and dlc to the game for the next couple of years.

 

[THTB]

Play the game, learn the game, stop bitching about the game.

 

[Decay]

It ultimately will come down to the players, and whether or not they continue to support their scene.

 

[Mikemetroid]

Maybe if the game didn't have setplay :/

 

[EGP Wonder_Chef]

Maybe if the game didn't have setplay :/

every game has setplay :/

 

[CrimsonShadow]

I think it's way too early to decry rekkas as some kind of game-destroying hype-killer that will doom MKX after one tournament; and we can't expect NRS to give pot bonuses forever. The scene needs to be strong enough to carry on without them.

Most of the issue with the MKX Top 8 was the poor scheduling that ran it at the exact same time as the first major for a new version of the biggest game in the FGC. Which meant no main stage, no main stream, and a lack of undivided attention. Other than that it was fine.

When we were late in Injustice, I said the following (and I think it's worth saying again here): if people truly love the game, they'll keep playing it. And if not, they shouldn't be shamed or vilified for giving it up to focus on to the next game. With $100,000 pots and regular 100-200 player tournaments these days, it's wrong to criticize anyone for devoting their time 100% to the most current fighting game if they'd like to do well at it.

If you notice, most of the SF5 players who are doing the best are no longer screwing around trying to be top at Marvel or SF4. The community has matured.

 

[ghostwriteous]

I still feel like KP2 was only created because of the botched MKX release to 360, PS3, and to some degree PC. Seems that WB would rather push out games than make endless DLC. So from that note, I dont think there will be a KP3 or any other DLC. Im still very disappointed that we only got one new stage and no DLC alts too.

 

[pogse]

Work harder on MU's. like KBR

yeah, when injustice 2 drops it's over. idk but to many injustice 2 will be their MKX.

 

[Mikemetroid]

every game has setplay :/

So much* setplay.

 

[Clark L.]

· Continued NRS contribution to pot bonuses: $$$ incentive to keep tournaments stacked.

 

[BigMacMcLovin]

I've never dedicated so much time to one game in my life so I'm hoping MKX continues to live on even with the impending arrival of Injustice 2 or whatever they bring out next.

Aslong as there are players online, at locals or tournaments then the game will continue to survive. I'd love to see a KP3 and continued support but I don't think it will happen, after all we've done well to get this far with NRS at the helm.

The die hards will continue to play the game for years to come and that's all that matters because who wants to play those filthy casuals anyway

 

[Skkra]

SFV coming out is a huge deal. It's the newest entry in the biggest fighting game franchise... everyone is going to be playing it and concentrating on it.

Considering how bad the SFV launch was, I think that MKX actually may better retain its existing players, whereas a lot of casuals may have been turned off by SFV's launch. Whether or not that will hurt the Capcom bottom line as the years go on, only time will tell. But competitively, at tournaments, EVERYONE wants to be playing this game. It is what it is. So it's going to dominate the scene for a while, and there isn't much to be done about it.

All that said, MKX is a great game. As long as the players keep playing, it'll keep going. The new netcode may enable some casual players to get good enough to want to check out tournaments.

 

[GLoRToR]

As cool as Injustice 2 may be, I’d be very disappointed if the MKXL scene withered up and died as soon as the Injustice sequel is released. Like many people here, I put a lot of time into training in this game and don’t want it to all be in vain or a waste of time. I want to see this game thrive as long as possible.

How to make that happen and potential concerns:

While there were many hype moments at Final Round, it was somewhat of a downer to see the dissipation of the crowd for grand finals and the general anti-climactic nature of it. Some may attribute that to the characters used, the players that made it to the grand finals or some combination of factors. There was a stark contrast to see how a huge crowd was cheering for Sonic Fox against Tokkido in SFV, and then right after that he went over to play in MKXL grand finals where there were nursing home levels of hype. Nothing against Fox or Dragon, both indisputably elite players, but this was just my observation.

Regardless of how that tournament ended, I firmly believe there is still a substantial amount of hype moments that can be made possible in the future of this game. Here are some factors that I think could boost the game’s longevity:

· ESL season 3: needs to happen, will be infinitely better with the new netcode, balance changes and new characters

· Remove the remaining hype killing character features: I am in particular thinking of the Tarkatan rekkas, as they are essentially a reincarnation of the old Kobu but worse. The goal here is to eliminate boredom.

· Kombat Pack 3: I know this is unlikely given the timing of the next game, but that kind of gets to my original point. Injustice 2 should not reduce the potential lifespan of MKXL by virtue of its release date alone. If MKXL has more potential content that would clearly have demand in the marketplace, they should squeeze every bit of juice out of it.

· Continued NRS contribution to pot bonuses: $$$ incentive to keep tournaments stacked.

What do you think can be done to extend the game’s lifespan?

You need to understand one thing: They want it to happen. They want you to buy everything, preferably on every platform, and then want you to throw it away and buy the next thing, on every platform. That is why NRS games do not last and that is why you are worried.
Rightfully so: only time can tell whether they've learned anything from actual fighting games such as SF or KI.

 

[Jeffrey Wolf]

Now that we have solid online, there needs to be actual match making. Without it, playing online, unless you have a clan (which I'm unaware of one for Xbox), becomes pointless. I know that's why this game is dying for me, despite my love for it.

Also, as people are saying, SF5 is brand new right now. Once it settles, the hype will more evenly distribute, though SF will always be the top game with the most attention given to it. It or perhaps Smash.

 

[ForeverKing]

I will always support NRS games 100% no matter what. Not just some NRS games, all of them. If I went to a tournament today and Injustice & MK9 were both playable games, I would sign up for them both period. Not only because I love the games and have alot of fun playing them but I also know entering the tournaments support the games. I purchased the Blue Steel Sub Zero costume and the Krimson Ermac costume, I don't use either character and don't care about the costumes honestly, but I know they support the scene so I bought them.

When Injustice 2 comes out, if MKXL happens to be at any tournament that I attend, even if it's just a side tournament I promise 100% that I will be entering it and competing in it.

Hell many years down the road if I'm still competing in Injustice 4 and Mortal Kombat 12, if there happens to be any older NRS games as side tournaments there I'm entering them all. I just love NRS games that much and love the scene, I would want to support the games as much as I could.

If most individuals in the scene had this mindset and supported all NRS games majority of the time, then MKXL's longevity would be nothing to worry about and Injustice would probably still be a main game at tournaments to this day.

 

[SUNB Perm]

1. I think KP3 should be community inspired 4th variations for all the characters each including a new skin (if there is gonna be a KP3)

2. Balanced tested balance approved variation specific frame data making all the least tourney viable variations of characters much more formidable against their generally easier to compete with variations. Example give Raidens MOS variation better cancel advantage on certain strings so he can safely place traps as appose to his other variations...u know subtle​

 

[Rathalos]

One thing that would help is significantly differentiating Injustice from MK.
Right now, gameplay wise, they are still close enough that everyone just treats it as MK 9.5, and something they play because they are frustrated/bored of MK, and are waiting for the next real installment.