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NetherRealm's next game won't be revealed during Mortal Kombat anniversary events

NetherRealm Studios lead Ed Boon shared that the developer's next game will be separate from Mortal Kombat's 30th anniversary celebration

TJ Denzer

October 5, 2022 11:50 AM

Image via Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

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All eyes have been on NetherRealm Studios throughout 2022. After all, October 8 is the big 30^th anniversary of Mortal Kombat, which was first released in 1992. It was the start of NetherRealm Studios and everything that goes with it as we know it, so there was belief that we could see NetherRealm’s next game appear during the festivities. Not so, says NetherRealm boss Ed Boon. It looks like there won’t be a new game reveal during the Mortal Kombat 30th anniversary festivities, but rather sometime after.

Boon shared this information in a tweet on his personal Twitter, late on October 4, 2022. According to Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat’s 30th anniversary and the events pertaining to it are separate from any reveals for the developer’s next game.

“We know a lot of you are excited about the next NRS game announcement and it will happen in due time,” Boon said. “But first it’s all about 30 years of Mortal Kombat. That's what we're going to celebrate and focus on. Our next game announcement will be separate from MK30.”

It seems pretty clear cut that we’re not about to see a Mortal Kombat 12 or spinoff announcement happen on October 8 or as part of any other MK30 festivities. However, there’s some curious tidbits to glean from that. The fact that NetherRealm Studios’ next game is entirely separated from MK30 festivities could very well mean that the next NRS game isn’t a Mortal Kombat game, or at least not a core one. Many have wondered if we might see Injustice return for a third entry. Others have speculated as to whether another Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe could be in the works.

Injustice 2 launched in 2017 while Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe was released in 2008. It stems to reason that with Mortal Kombat 11 having launched in 2019, we could see the franchise benched as NetherRealm focuses on something new. Whatever the case, it seems we can stop expecting another NRS game to appear on October 8 or alongside MK30 events. Stay tuned after that date for further updates and details.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.