When NetherRealm Studios announced that the Terminator would be coming to Mortal Kombat 11 bearing Arnold Schwarzenegger's likeness, fans were hyped. Schwarzenegger's Terminator is both an iconic villain and hero, a legendary character when it comes to Rated-R action cinema. Mortal Kombat 11 creative director Ed Boon even fed the fire, saying on Twitter "Part of me still can't believe we got Arnold." Unfortunately, while Schwarzenegger's likeness is being used in the game his voice is not. But it may have the next best thing.
According to a post made by NetherRealm senior UI artist Daanish Syed on Twitter, while Schwarzenegger wasn't able to do the role he did instead hand-pick his replacement. "He did choose the actor that is doing his voice," says Syed, which hopefully confirms the next best thing for Mortal Kombat 11. After all, who better to pick someone who most sounds like Schwarzenegger than Schwarzenegger himself?
Syed's comments also seem to imply an additional bit of information regarding the Terminator situation. That being that Schwarzenegger was planned to have voiced the character in Mortal Kombat 11, but that he was "unable to do it." Schwarzenegger is a 72-year old politician, actor, and businessman, after all. It's understandable that his schedule is likely quite full, or that the requirements necessary to have him voice a character might be too high.
Even without Schwarzenegger's voice, fans are likely to be content with what NetherRealm puts together for the Terminator. The likeness alone will be what most Mortal Kombat 11 players look forward to. Even in the Terminator films, the Terminator isn't a particularly vocal character. It's his guise and disposition that stand out so well. So long as NetherRealm's animators ensure that the Terminator is as daunting and strong as in the film then his voice will be a secondary issue.
Mortal Kombat 11 players don't have long to wait before they can see just how great the Terminator DLC is for themselves. The T-800 will be available for download starting October 8, which is just a week and a half away. The rest of Mortal Kombat's Kombat Pack will follow, with Sindel out November 26, the Joker out January 28, and Spawn available starting March 17, 2020. And maybe there are more to come after that.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.