Opinion: How Mortal Kombat X Faction Wars Wins the Online Fight

A few weeks ago, NetherRealm Studios unveiled Faction Wars, a persistent multiplayer meta-game in Mortal Kombat X. In Faction Wars, all Mortal Kombat X players can join one of five different in-game factions and contribute to their faction’s standing (unlocking unique rewards in the process) by participating in virtually any of game's single-player or online modes. While this isn’t the first time a developer has incorporated a social meta-component into its game, the exact implementation of Faction Wars has several unique traits that could make MKX the standard for a fun social multiplayer experience that all players can participate in, regardless of mode preference or skill level.

Open to All Challengers

NetherRealm incorporated a similar social experience into the online elements of the DC brawler Injustice: Gods Among Us. In Injustice, players could complete unique online challenges and daily tasks, earning special rewards (and bragging rights) by pitting their fighting skills against each challenge’s unique criteria. The problem was that these challenges could only be completed by competing against other human opponents online, which meant the system wasn’t worthwhile unless you had above-average fighting game skills and didn’t mind taking on strangers online. Fortunately, NetherRealm seems to have taken that one big caveat to heart as MKX’s Faction Wars is completely accessible to all players, even the ones who never want to set foot in MKX’s competitive online arenas.

If there’s an activity in MKX that pits you against an opponent, either human or A.I, chances are good it will help you contribute to your faction. Even if you never move beyond the game’s story mode and player vs. A.I. challenge towers, you’ll still be able to earn Faction points and the Faction-exclusive rewards that come with them. Even better, the weekly “Invasion” events that NetherRealm has planned sound like they’ll offer less-competitive players a chance to get in on the social action by collaborating with other players in fun co-op events, regardless of their faction, in order to repel invading A.I. forces.

What NetherRealm is basically allowing all MKX players to have their cake and eat it too. Competitive players can go online and do what they do best: pit their skills against other online combatants. But even if you’re not interested in venturing into MKX’s dangerous online waters, you can still participate in Faction Wars and enjoy many of the same social multiplayer benefits. Whether intentionally or not, Injustice penalized players that didn’t want to participate in online multiplayer. With MKX’s Faction Wars, the studio is crafting an experience that is open to all.

A League of its Own

As I mentioned before, past games have experimented with systems similar to Faction Wars, but have almost always ended up with middling results. Two prominent MMO titles, ArenaNet’s Guild Wars 2 and Funcom’s The Secret World, both feature a persistent zone in which players can contribute to multiple factions and earn unique rewards. The problem is that, in both cases, these zones are heavily geared towards PvP activities and have a steep learning curve, thereby limiting their appeal. Digital Extreme’s co-op shooter Warframe also recently introduced a similar system that allows players to ally themselves with six different “Syndicates” and contribute to their standing by completing missions. The problem is that there’s virtually no social elements to the Syndicates system, which turns the mode into yet another grind for players to subject themselves to.

MKX’s Faction Wars may not have a big open MMO zone to explore, but it does smartly cherry-pick the most ideal elements of the social meta-game genre. More introverted players can still feel that same sense of social camaraderie usually reserved for online clans or guilds without having to go online. Meanwhile, online players can partake in the large list of different competitive game modes, such as Survivor, King of the Hill, and the Faction Wars-exclusive Faction Battles that pits a teams of five players from one faction against another. Non-competitive fighting game fans like myself have been treated like the ugly stepchildren of the fighting game community for a long time now, but with Faction Wars, NetherRealm is making sure that no player is left out in the cold.

The Risk of Reward

As excited as I am for Faction Wars, I have also been careful to temper my excitement by reminding myself that there’s still a lot we don’t know about it. What happens if one faction becomes signifigantly bigger than the other four? Will NetherRealm be able to create enough incentives to keep all five factions equally appealing? Will there be systems in place to prevent a larger faction from gaining an unshakable monopoly on the other factions? Will there be a way to switch factions and, if so, will there be any penalties for doing so?

I trust that NetherRealm has already thought of these and other potential dilemmas and is coming up with well-rounded solutions. But the truth is, there are likely some problems that won’t surface until after MKX releases. Still, it’s good to see an established company like NetherRealm working so hard to make MKX into an experience that is both sociable and accessible. If Faction Wars ends up being everything that NetherRealm has promised, I’m sure players won’t mind having to deal with a few post-launch technical hiccups or balancing issues.

Anticipating a Bloody Good Time

I'm often bothered me how most fighting game developers tend to overlook the players who would rather not throw themselves into the online competitive scene, which I know is an unfair complaint, considering how head-to-head competition is the whole point of fighting games. I'm just one of those people who recognizes his limited skill level. Still, MKX’s Faction Wars feels like a breath of fresh air for me. I can finally get the thrill of competing in a persistent clash of online digital pugilism without having my face mashed in by other players. This sort of online social experience, one that brings players together and yet still allows them to play their way, is something I hope to see more of in 2015 and beyond. It represents true innovation, recognizes that fighting game fans extend much further than online kombatants.