Yeah that happened with Baraka, Sindel, Rain and others in MK10 and Black Panther, Monster Hunter and Sigma in MvC Infinite.
This is never a good move to do.
MVCI aside (that game had other issues), MK11 is the most successful game of 2019. I don’t know that its treatment of Rain or Sindel can really be cited as a negative, irrespective of “fan reaction”. Regardless of any complaining on Twitter or elsewhere, those fans either still bought the game or were so overwhelmed by casual purchasers that their opinions make no difference. Baraka, Sindel, Li Mei, and Sareena were also all brought back for story purposes and never made playable in MKX, and that game was also the most successful FG ever for its time.
I think a pretty solid argument could be made that devs can often have a large amount of leeway in including or not including fan “favorites” (quotes because that word is incredibly imprecise, and likely has little practical relation to character prevalence in many cases). So long as enough staples return and the overall product is solid or engaging, people will still buy the game and play it.
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Been wanting to break some of these down a bit, as I’d kind of been intending to do a similar list more generally. For starters I’ll take what you’ve got here though.
I think each character coming back is probably dependent on a combination of character mechanics (both archetype and role within the game, such as “starter character” or “grappler”), relevance to story/lore, and usage statistics.
Sadira: I actually think she is somewhat likely to make a return, either in the initial cast or as an early DLC or Season 2 entry. Lore-wise Sadira is someone who will never be integral to the plot, but her stature as an assassin means she can be effectively shoehorned into virtually any scenario in which one party has motivation sufficient to hire her. Gameplay wise she is a relatively simple “unorthodox” character, and a good starter example of how traditional archetypes can be broken and evolved in the KI system. She was also quite popular in S1 and early S2, before they made jump-cancels and execution-heavy juggles a core part of her gameplan. She was relatively easy to play and her toolset made intuitive sense, and that made her attractive for people who were new and didn’t quite have their fundamentals down pat.
Kan-Ra: Very interesting in that I think he makes a significant amount of lore sense to return, but probably less so on the gameplay and usage fronts. Kan-Ra has his hands in just about everything in seasons 2 and 3 narratively, and his grinning mug, bombast, and virtual immortality make him a strong main or supporting antagonist. I feel like that alone would make him a likely recurring character. But Kan has a very complicated gameplay archetype, and a lot of potential to turn off new players who run into him. If you’re starting with a small roster, he’s probably not someone you want taking up a slot.
Thunder/Eagle (one makes the cut): I think I’d vote Thunder for gameplay purposes, though Eagle probably has more narrative potential. Which you value would probably come down to the makeup of the rest of the cast to some extent. If a grappler is needed or you want more “traditional” archetypes, then you’d go with Thunder. If you need a zoner, or if you want to double down on zaniness and setplay (assuming he plays at least somewhat similarly to his KI 2013 incarceration), then you’d go with Eagle. Usage wise Thunder is almost certainly the more widely used character, but that’s undoubtedly skewed by how late Eagle released.
Aganos: a true fan-favorite (seriously, who doesn’t like Aganos? 
), I think he’s someone who would return mostly because he’s a very unique character who hammers home just how outside the box KI is. I think similarly to Sadira, he’s a relatively “safe” unorthodox character to include. His skill floor is much higher than hers though, as bad play will get you smacked around really heavily. I do think he is maybe unlikely as a launch member of the roster though if the cast is small, as his very unique gameplay forces certain things upon the rest of the cast (ie, the “heavies ignore armor” change was created specifically because of how how hard Aganos dunked Kim-Wu in testing). Lore wise he has potential (but not enough to make him a “main” hero), and usage wise he has always had players, but never been ubiquitous. I feel like his inclusion or non-inclusion mostly depends on just how much of a fan-favorite he is, or alternately, how much the devs would want to highlight KI’s unique character archetypes.
Omen: Shadowy bonus character with medium story potential and interesting gamplay quirks. I think he’s probably a top contender for a character who would have his function (random pressure elements and/or flight-style movement) subsumed into a brand new member of the cast. He was used fairly often in S2, but in S3 despite being very strong he’s pretty rare I feel. I think you won’t see him in a sequel, or at the very least you wouldn’t see him (or his replacement) until later DLC or an extra season. Random elements in a FG is a very particular gameplay quirk, and I wouldn’t expect to see them lead with that.
Shin Hisako: high narrative potential, but kind of held back by the awesomeness, gameplay strength, and general popularity of her base form. Shin is a very different character than base Sako, but her differences make her harder to play, less fun to play against (IMO), and less interesting aesthetically (losing the full creepy J-Horror vibe that Hisako leans into so hard). I think Shin probably gets retconned to be closer to base Sako in a sequel, perhaps having a tool or two subsumed into the base form while letting Hisako retain the things that make people like her so much now. For myself, I think scary counter-grappler is just more interesting than insane “haha try to block this” mix, and hope a new KI leans away from that gameplay style in general.
Rash: non-existent narrative potential, high-ish popularity/usage, strong gameplay archetype/options. Rash probably won’t return just for being a guest, but I feel like some element of his gameplay is liable to return. He is a relatively manageable character to play (his combo trait was actually an early test of CAM) who has some really crazy options, and I feel like some part of that is probably pretty likely to return. Probably not in as complete a package as Rash (b/c the character is really, really strong), but in some form or fashion I would think.
Shadow Jago: ■■■■ neutral. High usage but kind of unpopular (at least among the more vocal fans), with maybe moderate narrative potential. I feel like Shago really tests what kind of game a dev would want a KI sequel to be. Gameplay wise the character is really, really silly, with the ability to just come in whenever he feels like and force you to hold some kind of shenanigan. That’s a playstyle that’s fun to play, but a lot less fun to deal with. Shago’s return would be predicated on whether or not the devs wanted to lean into shenanigans or pull back a bit from them. Either way, I think he’d be pretty unlikely for a sequel, especially earlier on in the game’s life.
Arbiter: Extremely well done guest with low usage who I’d guess is unlikely to return. For whatever reason, I feel like a KI sequel totally would do another Halo guest, but just feel like it wouldn’t be another Arbiter. His gameplay archetype was interesting, but not so special or interesting that it bears repeating I think. I’m guessing Atriox or Tartarus or something could be a fun and suitable replacement, and would probably be simpler to play/manage than Arby has been.
Eyedol: low usage but very late, with an interesting gameplay archetype (stance changes) and low-to-moderate narrative potential. I think the stance archetype may well come back, but for whatever reason kind of doubt Eyedol’s use of it would return. Even if he himself made it back, I feel like it might wind up a situation where the stances return, but here they might be voluntary and relatively weaker as compensation. That may just be me projecting though 
Raam: similar to Arbiter in that I think another Gears guest is likely (even if later in the game’s life), but it probably won’t be him. I do think that a pure-ish grappler might be possible from a gameplay perspective though, even if Raam is no longer its bearer.
Kilgore: low usage, low narrative potential. His zoning and heating aspects are interesting enough, but far more likely to see those aspects incorporated into another character than to see return from him I think.
Was originally planning on adding some additional characters and thoughts, but this post is way too long already!
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I meant MKX, said MK11 by accident.
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^I personally agree with this. For Mortal Kombat XL, while it would have been cool to play as those three characters, it certainly didn’t break the game for me and it simply allowed for more narrative to be done overall. I’d rather have that than less narrative.
of course, its no means a deal breaker by any stretch, its just something people often gripe about. that wont stop them from buying the game anyway because everyone else is around
I don’t know, it feels like a low-blow for anyone who mained those characters to include them in the story but not-playable anywhere else.
I’m pretty sure Baraka Mains disliked the fact that he was not playable even though he had a complete moveset.
I’d be pretty ■■■■■■ off if Kan-Ra were to return in a KI sequel but be non-playable.
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yeah, nobody likes being ■■■■ teased to see their fighter in a game and they cant use them. but some fans are dedicated enough to where they’ll buy the game anyway
He had a completely recycled move set from the last game. Via PC and modding, they were playable, and as I recall, Baraka sucked :p.
Anyway, such decisions are out of our hands.
I generally don’t get too hung up on predictions for returning characters, but for some reason Kan Ra has stuck in my mind. I’m inclined to agree with you, Storm, that the character is really important but his gameplay is not going to be easy to carry over to any future game. What are the odds he returns as an unplayable boss character? I think they could do lots with that idea but the idea of unplayable bosses is not really in vogue these days.
Sadira
I can see making a come back. She has a unique moveset.
Omen
I can see not returning if Gargos is gone for good in the next game.
Thunder and Eagle
I think should comeback because we never got to see them reunite in the story. Plus it would upset a lot of long time KI fans who loved Thunder in the olden days. I also think this gives Eagle an opportunity to do more for his character.
Rash, Ramm, and Arbiter.
Rash was a fun addition, Raam was interesting, and the Arbiter was a pocket main for me. Sense they don’t do much for the lore and have pretty much gathered more new fans of KI they served their purpose already. So I think we can use their 3 slots for new original characters. Besides that, They could just put in a new guest to attract new fans.
Eyedol
That depends on what they do with Gargos. Sense Eyedol was only interested in his vendetta with Gargos I don’t know what else Eyedol would do.
Kan-Ra and Aganos.
Both of these guys brought a lot of interest in the lore for KI. The golem Aganos I think should stay because he was very unique like a lot of the non-human characters are in KI. Sure some may not care about the freak show but that’s what made KI standout compared to most fighting games.
Kilgore.
From my own experience when I picked up Kilgore he was fun to play, and he became my other main. My brother even called me “bot bro” sense his main was Fulgore. Though whether he returns or not is up for debate. I’d love to see what they could do with him though.
Shadow Jago.
It was an interesting concept, but what could they do to bring him back lore wise?
I think the issue in’t much when it comes to lore. Though I think atleast everyone but the guests have a shot at returning.
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Since this KI had playable bosses, I think the likelihood of having a non-playable (but returning character) boss is very slim for a sequel. If they could make Aria and Gargos work gameplay-wise, then it would be hard to argue that they cannot get Kan or the leader of the Coven (or someone else) down to a reasonable level.
I’d actually be very curious to see how they would want to handle Kan-Ra in a sequel to be honest. He doesn’t have to fight in as weird a way as he chooses in this KI - on the lore side MS has been very clear that Kan fights in his somewhat goofy, non-direct style as a matter of fun and preference. If they wanted to make him “get serious”, it’s not inconceivable that they just change large portions of how the character currently operates. That has the obvious side effect of maybe removing what his current (gameplay) fans like about him though, and so I don’t know that they would ultimately choose to go that route. But it would be a relatively easy way to keep a very charismatic villain and general story-mover in the picture though, while perhaps making him more accessible in the process.
To be honest I think that it ultimately comes down to how big the starting roster is. If you launch with 8 characters then KI 2013 Kan is probably not someone you want in the roster. Launch with 12 or 15 though, and all of a sudden an archetype oddball like him fits in pretty comfortably.
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As a late comer to the franchise, how did the game overall do? Microsoft has overall struggled more this console generation as opposed to last, and the PlayStation is typically regarded as the fighting genre tournament standard.
If the game did crazy well, I’d say the odds of a follow up title, especially on the next console, would be a lot higher.
It crossed over 10 Million players in 2017, so it definitely had a foothold this generation. It was also one of the first Microsoft titles to go to PC (both on Win10 store and Steam) to very positive reviews. It currently holds a 9/10 on Steam.
It wasn’t the BIGGEST fighting game on the Gen8 consoles (hard to beat out Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter in terms of sheer public awareness) but it did have about 4 years of developer support where they released new content very frequently at times. Add in the big prize pools in some of the tournaments during its peak ($30,000 at KI World Cup 2016) and I’d say that it did pretty well.
Sure the player count is low now and major content updates have stopped, but there’s still new tech coming from people playing online. Plus there’s plenty waiting in the wings for a new game.
TL;DR- Not the biggest fighting game in the world, but definitely a success.
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That all sounds very good overall. So basically, it would not be a bad idea, or investment, for Microsoft to commission a sequel then.
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Not only that, I would say it’s downright stupid for them not to.
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So, just looking at a video about the inaccuracies of Jurassic Park, I came across an image that is more akin to what is believed an actual velociraptor looked like, though from my understand they were actually about the size of a turkey.
I was thinking, wouldn’t it be neat if they made a new
breed of Stalkers that look even more like a velociraptor by starting on the bird-like end and working a bit back towards a dino-lizard design as opposed to a dinosaur with an optional feather outfit? Hell, another idea…what if they merged bird-riptor with alien DNA and ended up with something more of a phoenix?? Could be a rival for not only the original Riptor, but possibly even Glacius as well…
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The feathers was a perfect way to satisfy both camps when it comes to Dinos and Feathers. I I think we should keep the feathers as an accessory set and keep Riptor scaled. Granted I wouldn’t mind seeing other stalker units with a mix of scaled and feathered individuals. Just make the feathers an accessory set like last time. No need to worry about realism this is a work of fiction after all.
What about that Wyvern X part of the stalker lore?
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Velociraptors were indeed small, although six feet long if you count the tail. The raptors in the films are much closer to Deinonychus in size. This is just a larger relative: Deinonychus - Wikipedia
In Crichton’s books the raptors are actual velociraptors and sized appropriately. They are vicious and smart but more mortal than in the films (Gennaro - the lawyer who dies at the hands of T. rex while hiding in the toilet in the films - is a fitness buff in the novels and although he is killed by the raptors he manages to kill one with his bare hands).
As far as their appearance, this is probably due to two things. In 1993, moviegoers weren’t prepared to see feathered dinosaurs in screen and to be fair, this was still a subject of debate back then. What we think was “the appearance of dinosaur X” changes constantly.
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Yeah, the Jurassic Park (movie) raptors were always closer to deinonychus(es? what’s the plural for that? 
) than velociraptors, which were more dog-sized.
The degree to which dinosaurs were related to birds was still pretty newish and debated around the time of the first movie. The directors actually did a pretty good job of making the dinos looks as scientifically accurate as reasonably possible in that one; they caught some backlash by the time JP III rolled around and they were still going with more the lizard-y ones.
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