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An unreleased Mortal Kombat game has popped up on eBay

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The latest case of an ultra-rare unreleased vide ogame being sold on eBay has been sighted in the form of a prototype of the infamous Mortal Kombat spin-off Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. This version of the game follows a different concept from the released 1999 version starring series favorite Jax, and was being sold on eBay with a starting bid of $950. However, the game was suddenly delisted for unknown reasons.

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces was supposed to be a continuation of the Mortal Kombat platformer groundwork laid by Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub Zero and is seen as a predecessor to Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Originally, Special Forces was to star both Jax and Sonya Blade as playable characters. However, many Midway staff members left the project for various reasons, including Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

This sudden change of staff left the game in turmoil, resulting in a rushed completion of the project. This rush and change of developers saw Special Forces stripped away of many concepts, including its playable costar, Sonya Blade, leaving Jax as the sole protagonist of a now critically panned title.

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The version on eBay is the only known original prototype of the initial build that still includes playable Sonya and more levels. The seller claims to be one of the designers of the original game and holds three disks of the prototype that can only be played on modded or dev kit PlayStations.

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces‘ story is shared by countless other unreleased games that were thrown on eBay before being dumped online for the sake of preservation.  The retro gaming world has been keen on preservation these past few years, with many collectors and specialists pushing for more dumping of these missing titles. Four years ago, it was a Sim City NES prototype and a rare Korean Magic Kid GooGoo NES ROM. Two years ago, it was the Superman and Tom vs Jerry SNES prototypes, and last year it was the Akira Sega Genesis prototype.

With its sudden disappearance from eBay, it’s unclear if someone snagged the copy or if it was simply removed.

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DeAngelo Epps
Former Digital Trends Contributor
De'Angelo Epps is a gaming writer passionate about the culture, communities, and industry surrounding gaming. His work ranges…
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