Mortal Kombat 1 has had some exciting news released, with additions to the main cast of characters being announced to include two huge voice actors. The pedigree of the talent involved with the game is huge, with the likes of Ed Boon behind the story and franchise as a whole, as well as the franchise finally getting their man with Jean-Claude Van Damme set to feature as the Hollywood star Johnny Cage.
Now we have some news regarding the voices of Smoke and the infamous Scorpion, arguably the most famous of all Mortal Kombat kombatants, bar perhaps Sub-Zero. It is safe to say that just like Johnny Cage, these two characters are in safe hands.
Mortal Kombat 1 Has a Belter of a Cast
Following the game’s announcement at the PlayStation Showcase, Ed Boon joined Geoff Keighley on stage at the Summer Games Fest to bring more attention to the game, or specifically one of the central cast.
It has been no secret that many times over, NetherRealm has regularly tried to entice Jean-Claude Van Damme to participate and be involved with the game in some form or another over the years. On a few occasions they got as far as signing on the dotted line before some scenario or another would get in the way.
Thankfully though, this time it seems like nothing can go wrong, with Ed Boon announcing his involvement in the game, and not just as a mere voice. According to Boon, in an interview with GameReactor at the Summer Games Fest later that night, Jean-Claude Van Damme has recorded his lines and been the mo-cap actor for the new incarnation of Johnny Cage, including some of his most iconic moves throughout the years. It is no secret that the character was originally based on Van Damme’s appearance in Bloodsport, so it’s nice that after all these years, we’re finally get the truest form of the character.
Due to the timeline resetting antics of Mortal Kombat 11’s Aftermath DLC, the status quo of the franchise has been completely changed, with settings, timeperiods and even characters themselves completely changing from what we’ve grown familiar with. As well as allowing the changes of characters like Johnny Cage, it has also meant a new approach to franchise stalwarts like Sub-Zero, Scorpion and more.
Come the release of the game on September 14th, two characters specifically may be overly familiar to PlayStation gamers specifically. Releasing the news on Twitter, Ghost of Tsushima star Daisuke Tsuji confirmed not only his involvement with the game, but the fact that he’s taking the reigns of a little-known character called Scorpion. If you’re unsure of exactly who he is, admonish yourself, as he’s a regularly working voice actor, with perhaps his most famous work coming as Jin Sakai, the lead protagonist of the excellent Ghost of Tsushima. That’s not all, with other video game roles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, Prey and Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
So thrilled to finally be able to say I’m voicing Scorpion in #MK1 https://t.co/CkdVzvVNO8
— Daisuke Tsuji (@dicek2g) July 15, 2023
No less exciting is the news that Insomniac’s own Spider-Man Yuri Lowenthal, is also involved with the game. The charismatic voice actor has had roles all over the place, including Marvel’s Spider-Man, Naruto and another Mortal Kombat property as Kobra in Mortal Kombat: Legends. This time around though he won’t be featuring as Peter Parker, but in fact Smoke. A Lin Kuei assassin turned cyborg, Smoke is one of many returning characters back into the fold, but if his compatriot Rain is anything to go by, Lowenthal will be voicing the human version, rather than that of his future cyborg self.
What do you think? Are you excited by the voice talent that is present in Mortal Kombat 1? Let us know in the comments!
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