It's been a while now since NetherRealm Studios, the developers behind Mortal Kombat 11 and the Injustice series, have officially spoken about their next upcoming game. NetherRealm Studios' last game was released almost four years ago, breaking away from its traditional release cycle of a new game every two years. Many fans, however, anticipate 2023 to be the year that NRS will break its silence. Mortal Kombat's Ed Boon, creative director and co-creator of the series, has indicated this to be the case as he has been taking to Twitter over the past few months to offer clues into what's to come for the future.
Mortal Kombat 11 was released on April 23, 2019. After many characters were added to the roster and after a story expansion, the game received a final edition called Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate, released on November 17, 2020. A few months later, NRS officially ended support for MK11 on July 2, 2021, and shifted focus to its next unannounced project. A year and a half later, there's still no official confirmation on what NRS' next game is. Though, fans haven't been completely left in the dark as Boon has taken this moment to tease and fuel fan speculation. Fans shouldn't be too excited, however, as Boon has a reputation for toying with fans on Twitter, so what's said shouldn't be taken at face value. On top of that, neither Boon nor NRS have officially confirmed anything, so while there may be some truth to some speculation, anything is still possible and all claims should be taken with a grain of salt.
Confirmed: Mortal Kombat: Onslaught
What's already known is that NetherRealm Studios is working on an RPG-style mobile game titled Mortal Kombat: Onslaught that is not Mortal Kombat 12. The game is described as something different from the studios' previously released mobile titles as it won't be a traditional 1v1, 2D-style fighting game, but is described as a cinematic story experience where players must build a team of fighters and unleash them in real-time group battles. Details are still scarce at the moment, so more will likely be revealed later in 2023.
It's doubtful that this game will be the next big title from NetherRealms Studios' that they've been working on this entire time, even though Mortal Kombat: Onslaught's characters are from the main series. In the past, NRS has released mobile games of its own to accompany the release of much larger games, like Mortal Kombat X and Injustice 2. So it's likely that Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is just the tip of the iceberg, and that its launch will be paired with that of NRS' next game. Whatever that next game will be, one could infer that it could also be Mortal Kombat-related. However, it could also be that NRS' next game isn't related to Mortal Kombat at all, which is why Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is there to fill that Mortal-Kombat-shaped void.
Why NetherRealm Studios Could Announce Mortal Kombat 12 in 2023
There have been rumors circulating around three possible games that could be NRS' next release: Mortal Kombat 12, Injustice 3, and a Marvel game or a Marvel vs. DC title. While all three do have a chance of existing, of those three, Mortal Kombat 12 is the one most likely to be true.
Of the many reasons for Mortal Kombat 12 possibly being NRS' next big game, the biggest one is the sheer commercial success of MK11. Mortal Kombat 11 sold far too well to not garner a sequel, and for one to not come out relatively soon. It was reported that MK11 sold over 15 million copies and that it was the fastest-selling game in the franchise. Not to mention that there is a planned Mortal Kombat movie sequel, creating a wave of popularity that the developers would most likely want to ride upon. While nothing has been confirmed, it only stands to reason from a business standpoint that a Mortal Kombat sequel will eventually come out, if not in 2023.
In a series of Q&As hosted by Boon on Twitter, he recently hinted and implied multiple times that MK12 is in the works. When a follower asked for a hint on NRS' next game, Boon openly replied "I3 or MK12." When asked about the lack of 3D-era Mortal Kombat characters in recent games, Boon replied by stating, "That is something we will soon fix." When asked if MK12 will have a running mechanic, Boon didn't deny the existence of MK12 and suggested a "meterless" running mechanic that players can look forward to in the next Mortal Kombat game. While these statements don't confirm the existence of MK12 and could be hinting at something else entirely, it is clear that Boon and NRS do have plans for a future installment of Mortal Kombat, and that MK12 is on Boon and NRS' minds.
Why NetherRealm Studios Could Announce a Marvel or Marvel vs. DC Game
It's been known for a long time now that the popular Mortal Kombat developer spoke with Marvel about collaborating on a game together. In an interview from 2019, Boon stated he has spoken with Marvel, but that he couldn't elaborate on it. When fans learned about this, many instantly hoped that this meant a Marvel vs. DC game was finally in the works, seeing as how NRS also has worked with DC on the Injustice series. While the chances of a Marvel vs. DC game are slim, Boon has played around with the idea and there is a possibility it could still happen, even though fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
Speculation of a Marvel or Marvel vs. DC fighting game gained traction around 2021 when a leaker named Daniel Richtman stated NRS was working on a Marvel game. Later on in that year, in a now-deleted tweet, Boon commented on how James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, worked with both Marvel and DC, stating it was an impressive feat while hinting at something with a perplexed emoji. A year later, on September 9, 2022, Boon asked his followers in a Twitter poll what they wanted to see next from NRS. Two options listed on the poll were "Marvel Game" and "Marvel vs. DC." Perhaps unsurprisingly, the "Marvel vs. DC" option took the majority of the votes at 40.9%.
The tweets and rumors may not mean much, however, as perhaps the biggest hurdle for NRS when developing this game would be securing the licenses. While NetherRealm Studios has a repertoire for securing the license for guest characters, the issue might be with DC and the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery. While NRS is owned by Warner Bros. Interactive, reports have surfaced that Warner Bros. Discovery may be selling some of its subsidiaries, including NetherRealm Studios, meaning that NRS may no longer have the license to use DC characters, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Not to mention that NRS would have to secure the license from Marvel as well - a company that it has yet to officially work with. While this is still very much so speculation, it is something to keep in mind for the future of NRS' games.
Why Injustice 3 Could be NetherRealm Studios' Next Game
There is still a possibility that NRS' next major game is Injustice 3, as Boon still hasn't ruled it out and has said NRS' next game is either "I3 or MK12." However, previous statements have implied that Injustice 3 will most likely not be NRS' next game because, and if it were, it would've most likely been out by now.
On top of speculation regarding the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, Boon also made a comment in the past about the development of NRS' next game that suggests Injustice 3 is unlikely. In an interview talking about his induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame, Boon commented on NRS' recent release cycle and how it has been broken. He spoke about how over the past decade, NRS followed a pattern of releasing a new game every two years, switching between Mortal Kombat and Injustice back to the former. Boon said there was a reason for it, and it would make sense once NRS' next game is announced. Unless there is something drastically different about Injustice 3, Boon's comment highly indicates NRS' next game is not Injustice 3.
On one hand, Boon's statement could just be an "off the cuff" statement and not mean anything. On the other hand, it could also mean that the reason why NRS broke its release pattern is that they are working on something entirely unrelated to Injustice or DC. Comparatively speaking, sequels and iterations of video game franchises will reuse assets such as animations, character models, and audio effects from game to game. Perhaps part of the reason for breaking the release cycle was that NRS could not use the same assets as before from Injustice because NRS' next game isn't Injustice at all, but something different. Again, this doesn't officially rule out Injustice 3, but this and the speculation regarding the Warner Bros. Discovery merger make Injustice 3 an unlikelihood.
A Matter of When
2023 is already a stacked year for fighting games. Two giants within the fighting-game genre are likely to be released in 2023: Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. If NRS does decide that it wants to release its next game in 2023, it will have some big competition.
All of NetherRealms Studios' past releases have come out in the summer around April or May. This may not be the case this time around as that is very close to the release of Street Fighter 6, coming out on June 2nd. NetherRealm Studios has been conscious in the past about not impeding on the success of other fighting games, allowing them their time in the spotlight and avoiding competition.
NRS will likely make an announcement at a digital event, like Playstation's State of Play or Summer Games Fest, and then have its own gameplay reveal event sometime later. For the reveal of Mortal Kombat X, NRS did something similar where it premiered a CG trailer before gameplay was shown at the E3 2014 Sony Press Conference. For MK11, the game was officially revealed at The Game Awards, then gameplay was shown at a live event about a month later, inviting content creators to try out the game.
Following that, NRS hosted a series of Kombat Kasts showing new Mortal Kombat 11 characters and gameplay, leading up to MK11's release. Players should expect to see a similar pattern, including any mentions regarding DLC and guest characters, which will likely commence soon after launch. DLC characters had rolled out a month after the release of MK11 and even were announced before the game came out. Fans can expect something similar in the coming months, with more news about Mortal Kombat: Onslaught as well as news about NRS' next project.