Over the twelve years since NetherRealm Studios was formed following the fall of Midway, the developer has made a name for itself as a staple of the fighting game genre. Inheriting the iconic Mortal Kombat franchise and breathing new life into the stagnating series in Mortal Kombat 9, as well as bringing its fighting know-how to the DC universe with Injustice, the developer quickly became a mainstay in the industry with plenty of big-name games under its belt. Now, a recent job listing from the developer suggests NetherRealm Studios' next big project may already be on the way.
Since taking over the Mortal Kombat franchise following Midway's bankruptcy in 2009, NetherRealm Studios has not only continued the gorey fighting franchise with three new main series games but expanded its repertoire into other properties since being acquired by Warner Bros. Injustice saw NetherRealm taking a page from Marvel's book pitting some of DC Comics' most iconic names against one another. Now, a job listing from NetherRealm is seeking out a senior combat designer, paying particular mention to its two biggest franchises.
The listing posted to Warner Media's career site looks to add a Senior Combat Designer to NetherRealm Studios with a focus on game design, specifically related to combat, balance, and character tuning. The page makes specific mentions to features like motion capture, making it highly unlikely the position is for a mobile game like some of NetherRealm's previous listings. NetherRealm also specifically mentions both of the developer's flagship franchises in the application, name-dropping both Mortal Kombat and Injustice, with no specific mention being made on what the actual project is.
While a new Mortal Kombat or Injustice has yet to be officially announced, the newest game from NetherRealm Studios has been the subject of plenty of rumors in recent months. Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon has spoken multiple times on the developer's newest project, teasing fans that a major game is on the horizon, although being unable to speak on a new Mortal Kombat or Injustice for various reasons. A new Mortal Kombat would be the franchise's first game since 2019's Mortal Kombat 11 while Injustice saw its last main-series entry in 2017 with Injustice 2.
While the Mortal Kombat franchise has yet to reveal the long-running fighting game series' twelfth game, Mortal Kombat 11 has remained one of the premiere titles in the fighting game circuit. Mortal Kombat 11 received regular updates for over two years before focus shifted to the developer's next game in July 2021, and was recently announced as a main game for the 2022 EVO Championship Series. With Mortal Kombat 11 officially finished and rumors flying of a new title, fans of NetherRealm Studios may not have to wait much longer to see what the developer has in store next.