Mortal Kombat 12 confirmed by Warner Bros., release slated for 2023

Mortal Kombat 12 is coming this year. In its quarterly earnings call, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed the existence of the highly anticipated fighter sequel with “ambitious launch projections”. NetherRealm Studios has remained fairly secretive about this project. But in June Andrew Bowen, voice actor for Johnny Cage in the Mortal Kombat games, tweeted a video of himself in the parking lot of Warner Bros. This led fans to speculate that a new iteration was in development, though director Ed Boon later told IGN that it was a separate project. With Warner Bros. themselves announcing the game now, it seems Boon was lying after all.

“And there’s plenty more to come, including the highly anticipated Mortal Kombat 12 and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League – games also set to release this year, with ambitious launch projections,” said Andrew Slabin, vice -Executive Chairman, WBD, in the Earnings Call. Creator Boon also jokingly acknowledged the silent announcement. on Twitter ask people if they heard any news about Injustice 3. Both are developed by NetherRealm Studios. While fans also expected to see the Injustice trio, gaming journalist Jeff Grubb shut it down in 2021, saying the studio was prioritizing the next Mortal Kombat game. At the time, NetherRealm’s future with publisher WB Games seemed uncertain, as general owner AT&T sought to sell sections of its games business.

“It fits with reality and what I’ve heard, where Mortal Kombat 12 would make the most sense because it’s a game that they know will make money, sell well… “said Grubb on his show GiantBomb. . “At the same time, you don’t need to use any of those Batman or Superman characters that might be tied to licensing if you’re trying to get rid of NetherRealm or sell it to anyone.” Since 2013, NetherRealm has alternated between releasing Injustice and Mortal Kombat. However, going for the latter made sense and was safer since director Boon essentially created these fighting characters and the franchise. Meanwhile, DC Comics and its characters are owned by Warner Bros. and that would have caused licensing issues at the time. More so, if NetherRealm were sold to another publisher in the middle of Injustice 3 development.

2023 promises to be an exciting year for fighting game fans, as the aforementioned Mortal Kombat 12 will take on Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8. In our 8/10 review of Mortal Kombat 11, we criticized its repetitive formula that follows a style similar to Injustice games but offers much more control. “It stands out as the best entry in the new trilogy and gives you plenty to explore, learn, and even master.”

If things go according to plan, Mortal Kombat 12 should release on all major platforms – PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. Plus, expecting an older-gen PS4 and Xbox One version isn’t a stretch, considering this is such a competitive esports franchise.