On Friday, August 1, during the 2025 Evo Las Vegas Ultimate Fighting Game Tournament and festival, Digital Eclipse announced that pre-orders and physical editions of the upcoming Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection are now available. While no exact release date for Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection has been confirmed yet, the Kollection will be available physically for Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PlayStation 5, starting at $49.99. On top of the Standard Edition of the Kollection, fans can also pre-order the Deluxe and Kollector’s Edition, with the latter variant featuring a controller-holder statue of one iconic Mortal Kombat character who needs to return to the spotlight: four-armed Shokan Goro.
Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection Confirms Another New Game Addition
Digital Eclipse and Atari reveal that another fan-favorite entry will be included in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection as part of the launch lineup.
Mortal Kombat’s Goro Explained
Of the many monstrous characters and creatures Mortal Kombat has introduced over its 33-year-long existence, none are arguably more well-known than the half-human, half-dragon Shokan of Outworld, with the species first appearing in Mortal Kombat’s original 1992 arcade cabinet. The Shokan were first introduced to players via Prince Goro, a mighty Shokan warrior who serves as Mortal Kombat’s original sub-boss before facing off against the game’s final boss, Shang Tsung. For 500 years, Goro reigned as the undisputed champion of the Mortal Kombat tournament, having won nine consecutive tournaments and notably defeated the Great Kung Lao Earthrealm champion. However, Goro’s attempt to win a tenth tournament for Shao Kahn, Emperor of Outworld, was thwarted by Earthrealm’s latest champion, Liu Kang, who won the tournament.
Despite not being a playable character in Mortal Kombat’s original arcade cabinet, Goro instantly became a popular character among fans, going on to appear in most Mortal Kombat game entries either as a sub-boss, playable fighter, or as a simple background cameo. Goro even went on to serve as a major antagonist in the original 1995 Mortal Kombat film, voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, and in 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot film, voiced by Angus Sampson. While Goro is an iconic villain in Mortal Kombat, he’s seldom playable compared to other antagonists, being only playable in:
- 1993’s Mortal Kombat (Game Boy)
- Mortal Kombat Trilogy
- Mortal Kombat 4
- Mortal Kombat Gold (Sega Dreamcast)
- Mortal Kombat: Deception (GameCube)
- Mortal Kombat: Unchained
- Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
- Mortal Kombat X
Goro’s Legacy and Role in Mortal Kombat’s New Timeline
Ever since Mortal Kombat transitioned from being developed by Midway Games to NetherRealm Studios, Goro has been relatively absent from major roles in Mortal Kombat games. Goro appears throughout 2011’s Mortal Kombat but only appears as an NPC in the game’s campaign. He’s referenced a bit in Mortal Kombat X’s campaign, but Goro only appears fully in the game as a pre-order bonus or a DLC fighter. Despite being shown alive and active in Mortal Kombat X and its tie-in comics, Goro only appears in Mortal Kombat 11 as a corpse sitting atop his throne. However, interactions between Baraka and Sheeva in Mortal Kombat 11 revealed that Goro became the vessel for the Dragon King Onaga and nearly destroyed Outworld before being killed by Kotal Kahn.
In Mortal Kombat 1, with the game being set in a new timeline created by Titan Liu Kang, Goro lived a much less violent and significant life compared to his previous incarnations. Instead of being a deadly servant to Shao Kahn and Shang Tsung, Goro was a loyal soldier in Empress Sindel’s army under the command of General Shao. He appears frequently as a background character in Mortal Kombat 1’s campaign alongside General Shao or as an alternate timeline version of Goro, wielding four of Shao Kahn's Wrath Hammers. Mortal Kombat 1’s Goro was once again unplayable as a standard fighter, but he was made into a supportive Kameo Fighter.
Goro’s Potential Role in Future Mortal Kombat Games
While classic Goro will soon return to the spotlight with Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, he could return to prominence once more in future new Mortal Kombat games. For example, Mortal Kombat 1’s many character-centric Tower Endings suggest that General Shao, Reiko, and Goro will continue rebelling against Empress Mileena’s rule over Outworld. If this rebellion becomes the central conflict of Mortal Kombat 2, it would make sense for Goro to play a more pivotal role as one of General Shao’s leading commanders. It’s unknown if Mortal Kombat 1’s Kameo Fighters will return, but if not, NetherRealm should strive to make Goro an intimidating sub-boss or a playable fighter once more in Mortal Kombat 2.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 81%
- Released
- October 30, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Developer(s)
- Digital Eclipse
- Publisher(s)
- Digital Eclipse, Atari, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
