After a couple of solid years with new content, Mortal Kombat 11 has ended its support. It was a great run, filled with constant competitions, new challenge towers, and plenty of DLC characters. Some of those DLC characters were quite impressive, including Spawn's first video game appearance in a long time, and the Joker from NetherRealm's DC Comics fighting series Injustice. There was even a new story mode included in Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath, surprising the fan base as something like that had never been done in a fighting game before. With the title now being featured at the first online Evo tournament series, there is no doubt that Mortal Kombat 11 has been a rousing success.
But now, all fans can think about is what comes next. NetherRealm Studios is the most prolific American fighting games developer. Its signature gameplay and visual styles are iconic among Western gamers, and its two main franchises are both equally well known. For the longest time, NetherRealm made Mortal Kombat games, and that was it. It was only after its acquisition by WB Games that it branched out into another franchise entirely. This series came to be known as Injustice: Gods Among Us, and focused on DC's greatest heroes duking it out. Right now, there's no concrete news on what NetherRealm is tackling next. However, there are plenty of rumors as to what that project might be.
Injustice 3
The primary suspect for NetherRealm’s next project is Injustice 3. NetherRealm has kept up a cycle for the past eight years where every two years, it releases a game. First comes Mortal Kombat, and then Injustice. There’s really no other evidence for it than this, but seeing how consistent it has been, it’s pretty convincing. There may be an extra year this time due to the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean the rotation has gone out of style, just that it’s taking longer to change over. These games contain a lot of interesting fanservice for both DC Comics fans and fighting game enthusiasts, so hopefully, fans haven’t seen the last of this series.
Mortal Kombat 12
Of course, just because that rotation has become tradition doesn’t mean NetherRealm should interrupt the fun. Mortal Kombat 11 has been going strong, selling over 12 million units and pleasing fans with its very balanced gameplay. Everyone is particularly keen on seeing what happens next in the story, given that MK11 left on a crazy plot twist that would both reset and change everything about the series’ universe. The next Mortal Kombat will need to tread unknown territory and will be able to flex its expanded library of characters as needed. Such a massive shift will need a lot of work to pull off, which may be another point in Injustice 3’s favor. Those two are not the only project options, however.
Mortal Kombat 9 HD
There are a couple of games that fans have been asking for on social media, and knowing NetherRealm, those requests have probably been heard. In March 2020, Mortal Kombat 9, otherwise known as Mortal Kombat, was removed from Steam at the request of either NetherRealm or WB Games. MK9 is also no longer available to purchase digitally on Xbox 360 and Steam, and online multiplayer servers have shut down on PS3. This game single-handedly revived Mortal Kombat, and it would be very unfortunate to see it lost to time. Fans have theorized about an upgraded re-release, but no sign of that has surfaced. The same can be said for a rumored classic Mortal Kombat collection.
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks HD
There is one other game that could receive an HD re-release at some point, though it is a fair bit different from the other games vying for the spot. In early June, NetherRealm creative director Ed Boon tweeted out a poll asking fans whether they would like to see a remaster for MK Deception, Shaolin Monks, MK9, or MK2. Surprising Boon himself, the tweet got Shaolin Monks trending, and the beat-’em-up adventure game beat out MK9 with almost 20% more votes. Boon has brought up the idea of a Shaolin Monks remaster in the past, but it seems that even he was not aware of how large of a following that game has. That one tweet could have set the wheels in motion for a new release, but nothing official has been said on the matter yet.
Marvel Fighting Game
The big rumor circulating NetherRealm circles right now is that the Western fighting game studio will be making a Marvel Comics-based fighting game, the first console fighter from a non-Capcom developer in a long time. This rumor started at the end of April when industry insider Daniel Richtman stated that NetherRealm's next game was already in production and would be a Marvel fighting game for next-gen consoles. It came as a shock to many, considering that the Marvel name had been firmly associated with Marvel vs. Capcom. The decision, presumably by Disney, to replace Capcom with NetherRealm as its go-to fighting game developer seems likely after the poor reception of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, but MvC fans are still holding out hope that their favored franchise can come back to life.
Marvel Vs. DC
At any rate, evidence is mounting for this Marvel NetherRealm game, and it’s starting to look like there may be a lot more to it than that. In a 2019 interview with Game Informer, Ed Boon stated that NetherRealm “would love to make like a Marvel fighting game or a Marvel vs. DC." This provides a very interesting prospect for the next NRS fighter: it could be a Marvel game on its own, but it could just as easily be a crossover fighting game with the properties NetherRealm normally works with. It would feel like a successor of sorts to Marvel vs. Capcom if such a crossover game came to pass, but it would also be a pretty big leap for a whole new property in NetherRealm’s hands. That is doubly true when considering that Marvel and DC are currently competing properties.
Still, Marvel vs. DC really is the project that has the most evidence pointing to it right now. Ed Boon is a notorious tease when it comes to saying things in interviews and on social media, and in retrospect, it feels like he’s been talking about a Marvel NRS game for quite a while. On May 3, 2021, just a week after the initial rumor for the Marvel game came out, Boon tweeted "Wow. [James Gunn] has managed to work on DC and MARVEL movies. That’s impressive.” Of course, Boon is also a notorious troll with his finger on the community’s pulse, so he could have just been messing with the fanbase. The only way to know for sure is to wait for NetherRealm to announce what game it is working on next.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.