“LEGO: Dimensions” recently launched a new DLC with over 20 mini games. “Mortal Kombat” and “All Points Bulletin” or “APB,” were initially included in the pack but were eventually removed.
The Midway Arcade packed selected several classic titles, including “Mortal Kombat,” from its back catalogue and placed these in the DLC’s mini games list. There were over 20 games included in the pack. According to producer Mark Warburton, they included most of the titles that they wanted into the DLC except for two, “Mortal Kombat” and “APB.”
“There was an age consideration. We had to take into account the typical age of our players and what sort of content we usually have. Some of the more mature games we decided we didn’t think was the right fit for the game,” Warburton explained to Polygon about why “Mortal Kombat” was removed.
Previously, “LEGO: Dimensions” only had “Portal 2” in the game. The new DLC provided the opportunity to explore more games. Warburton said that they wanted to introduce several classic games to a new generation of players. He stated that the classic titles are the “founding blocks” of the present industry, so current gamers should also learn to appreciate these through emulation.
TT Games reportedly had access to the whole Midway Arcade library when “LEGO: Dimensions” surfaced. The development team planned to recreate some of the classic games like “Mortal Kombat” into brick form. They also wanted to maintain the old feel of the games and show current gamers how “Mortal Kombat” and other games became popular in the first place.
“Mortal Kombat” is a fighting game that launched in 1992 and became a huge hit because of its dynamic gameplay and violent content. It has been the subject of many court cases and was a contributor in the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Several games in the franchise were banned in some countries. For the same reason, “LEGO: Dimensions” may have advertently kept “Mortal Kombat” out of its list of mini games to cater to a younger audience.
“APB” is a 1987 arcade game video game focusing on a police officer who arrests criminals. Several years after its release, people commended the game for still being graphically competitive with current titles. It is unclear why “APB” was also taken out of the “LEGO: Dimensions” list of games, but it is likely related to the target audience’s age and game content.
At present, only a few add-on packs remain from the original announcement. The “LEGO: Dimensions” team are contemplating on their next move. Warburton stated that they like how they can build anything and also get to do everything within a given game like “Mortal Kombat." He continued that they were very pleased with the success of “LEGO: Dimensions.”
