QLOC and NetherRealm Studios have issued a new patch Mortal Kombat 11 for this week. The patch doesn’t change any game balance or fix major bugs, but it does make one really important change on the technical side of things. The newest build of Mortal Kombat 11 will now support DirectX 12 as an option for PC users.
Being that DirectX 12 is a graphical API that aims to improve performance and stability, there’s a good case for making sure your game is compatible. While not as intense in terms of graphical power as something like Vulkan, DirectX 12 offers a general improvement over the previous iteration of DX 11.
If you’re already getting a solid FPS with DX 11, there’s nothing to really be gained from switching to the newer API, as it’s mostly just a performance enhancement, and does not unlock new graphical settings or effects.
The DirectX 12 build of Mortal Kombat 11 coming out so late after the launch of the game is a bit weird though. It feels like NetherRealm is both offering a graphical improvement to MK fans, while also testing things out. It could be that the developer is working on a DX 12 implementation for a future game. Game developers often like to refine new features in existing games and engines before deploying them on new projects, so that could explain this new patch.
