Mortal Kombat 1 fans blast ‘misleading’ Nintendo Switch trailer with Steam achievement

Mortal Kombat 1 and Nintendo Switch gamers are furious over the game’s messy port and a launch trailer that very obviously uses PC footage.

Though Mortal Kombat 1 is largely being celebrated by critics and fans, there is one major thing holding the game back from being a resounding success: its Nintendo Switch port.

Players have been calling the Nintendo Switch release “nearly unplayable” and are criticizing NetherRealm for charging full price for such an inferior version of the game.

Making the situation more frustrating is the game’s launch trailer shared on Nintendo of America’s YouTube channel. The trailer uses footage that was clearly captured on PC rather than the Switch, something that is made even more obvious by an error that was left in.

Mortal Kombat 1’s Nintendo Switch trailer uses PC gameplay

Fans watching the Nintendo Switch launch trailer have spotted what is clearly a Steam achievement notification.

At 1:53, there’s a pop-up in the righthand corner of the screen with some placeholder text – something that’s particularly out of place here, considering Nintendo does not have an achievement system like other platforms.

YouTube: Nintendo of America / NetherRealm

As of this writing, the trailer is still up on YouTube, Steam achievement placeholder and all.

While it’ll surprise no one to learn that the trailer is comprised of PC footage of the game running smoothly rather than gameplay captured on the Switch, the notification makes it all the more obvious.

The comments are filled with players criticizing the trailer for painting an unrealistic, even misleading picture of Mortal Kombat 1’s port. Many are sarcastically saying that the trailer looks great and they hope it looks that good on Switch.

Since its release, Mortal Kombat 1’s Switch version has been widely panned. While Mortal Kombat 11 ran fairly well on the system, the new game has a variety of issues from input delays to bugs to graphics that some have compared to the PlayStation 2 era. It also currently only has the introduction for Invasions mode, with the rest coming “in a matter of weeks” according to a WB Games Support statement.

The trailer and its issues are making what is already a bad situation even more infuriating to gamers. No one would have batted an eye at Mortal Kombat 1 skipping Nintendo Switch – after all, the hardware is famously less powerful than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which did not receive the game.

For his part, game director and series creator Ed Boon has said Mortal Kombat 1’s Switch version will “absolutely be getting an update” and that “anything that we’re finding a problem with is on our list and is going to be fixed.”

Mortal Kombat 1’s Switch port may improve with time, but as it stands, it’s a mess that’s keeping players from enjoying what is otherwise an excellent fighting game.