Last year saw quite a bit of speculation over what developer NetherRealm Studios’ next game will entail. Although some suspected that a third Injustice entry will come next, Ed Boon, the creative director at NetherRealm, stated that the next release will stray away from its standard Mortal Kombat to Injustice pattern. That statement did not necessarily preclude the possibility of another Mortal Kombat game happening next, however. After all, an apparent leak that surfaced a month prior appeared to hint at Mortal Kombat 12‘s existence. As it turns out, those who predicted that Mortal Kombat 12 would be NetherRealm’s next project may have been right on the money.
During a call with investors, David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, brought up Mortal Kombat 12 as one of the company’s major upcoming releases alongside Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Not only that, but he also let slip that Mortal Kombat 12 will see a release at some point this year. In addition, Zaslav said that the company has “ambitious launch projections” for the title.
Mortal Kombat returns once more
Before last year’s NetherRealm speculation frenzy, journalist and insider Jeff Grubb suggested that NetherRealm has focused on developing Mortal Kombat 12 over other projects. According to Grubb, this at least partially has to do with apparent uncertainty over whether or not Warner Bros. will sell off NetherRealm. This coupled with the consistently high sales of the Mortal Kombat series supposedly led to NetherRealm developing a new entry in the franchise as a safe bet.
Regardless of the reasoning behind Mortal Kombat 12‘s creation, fans will no doubt feel elated over its soft confirmation. All that’s left now is to wait for the official announcement and eventual release of Mortal Kombat 12. With Street Fighter 6 also releasing this year, it appears that fighting game fans will have a lot to chew on.
Image via WB Games
