Ed Boon is ready to move forward. The NetherRealm Studios chief confirmed in a recent interview that another Mortal Kombat game is actively in development, ending months of silence about what the fighting game powerhouse plans next after the 2023 reboot.
Speaking to Collider, Boon laid out the studio's ambitious roadmap. "We're definitely pursuing another Mortal Kombat game, and we're definitely doing more, as well, so there are a lot of parts on the stove, not just with games, though, with other forms of media and whatnot," he said. "So, we've got a lot of great announcements that are coming."
The confirmation arrives as Boon currently promotes the theatrical release of Mortal Kombat 2, which launched in theaters in 2024. The studio made the call on its next gaming project back in 2021, but public details have remained scarce. In the meantime, support for Mortal Kombat 1 dried up unexpectedly.
When Mortal Kombat 1 launched in 2023, NetherRealm promised long-term support. But in 2024, just eight months later, Warner Bros. Games announced it would cease releasing new DLC characters and story chapters for the game. The decision stung the fanbase, which had invested heavily in the soft reboot.
Mortal Kombat 1 has still managed a respectable commercial showing, moving 8 million copies to date. That trails the 15 million copies sold by Mortal Kombat 11 as of 2022, suggesting room for growth.
Rumors have swirled that Injustice 3 may be NetherRealm's immediate priority before the next Mortal Kombat arrives. The studio has historically alternated between its two major fighting franchises. Injustice: Gods Among Us debuted in 2013, followed by Injustice 2 in 2017. NetherRealm then released Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 before pivoting to Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023. A new Injustice game would have been due years ago.
The path forward raises immediate questions for longtime fans. Will NetherRealm retain the Kameo Fighters system that defined Mortal Kombat 1, or abandon it entirely? Will the story continue from where the last game left off, or begin fresh for what would be the third or fourth continuity reset? And perhaps most pressingly, what will the next game even be called in a franchise that has grown increasingly confusing with its naming conventions?
Author Emily Chen: "Boon's vague promises about 'great announcements' feel calculated, but the confirmed pipeline suggests NetherRealm learned from MK1's support misstep and plans to move faster this time."
Comments