Kombatants hoping to tear out the spine of Scooby-Doo's Shaggy will be disappointed to learn that Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm has put its foot down and said 'No.' It seems that this particular crossover idea is a bridge just a tad too far.
The notion of putting Shaggy into Mortal Kombat 11 has come up a lot, to the point that an online petition to add him as a DLC guest character has now amassed more than 350,000 signatures. But Mortal Kombat's community manager Tyler Landsdown poured a bucket of cold water on their hopes during the first official Mortal Kombat 11 'Kombat Kast' this week.
"Every time a petition is put on the internet about videogames, everyone who works in videogames – we have to take it seriously," he said, unseriously. "We have a room in this building called The Petition Room where everyone from this studio comes in, scared, wondering what to do next."
After a little lighthearted sarcasm, Landsdown got definitive.
"Shaggy will not be in the game – at all, ever, sorry, dead meme," he said, as the other NetherRealm in the studio sighed in theatrical disappointment.
"The meme is dead, no Shaggy in Mortal Kombat 11," Landsdown said.
That may be a little disappointing after Mortal Kombat creator (Kreator?) Ed Boon toyed with the idea on Twitter a couple weeks ago. But fortunately, the Kast also included the reveal trailer for Kabal, who first appeared (along with his trademark twin hook-swords) in Mortal Kombat 3. Here it is:
In the past, Kabal's finishing moves have been a bit uninspiring, but it appears that problem has been, uh, rectified.
Finish him: The best fighting games on PC
The full Kombat Kast gets into Kabal's moveset and design in some interesting detail, so it's worth a watch if you're champing at the bit to get your hands on the next instalment in the Mortal Kombat series, or if you're just a really big fan of sharp things hitting squishy things.
Mortal Kombat 11 is scheduled for release on April 23.