The Game Awards 2022 is nearly here, and while fans will tune in on December 8 to see which of their favorite titles win the best in their category, there are other things to look forward to at the event. The Game Awards is known for its big reveals as much as it is recognized for celebrating the best of a year in gaming. Every year Geoff Keighley hypes up the Game Awards and the reveals fans can expect to see. Among a bunch of other titles gamers are hoping to get some more information from, a lot of fighting game fans have been hoping for news on NetherRealm's latest project, which many predict to be Mortal Kombat 12.

Mortal Kombat 12 is incredibly unlikely to show up at The Game Awards this year, though. Series co-creator Ed Boon recently shared in a tweet that despite NetherRealm revealing Mortal Kombat 11 at the show four years ago, the company simply isn't ready to reveal its new title yet. Last year, despite some having hope that a new game would be revealed, NetherRealm also stated that it simply wasn't ready. While this lack of appearance is likely to bring disappointment to Mortal Kombat fans, NetherRealm taking its time could be a good thing for the future of the franchise.

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NetherRealm Appears to be Taking a More Cautious Approach with Mortal Kombat 12

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Largely, it seems that NetherRealm is avoiding making a big reveal before it is ready to not promise too much to its fans. Mortal Kombat 11 was revealed at The Game Awards 2018, just a few months before its release in April 2019. Unlike other studios that often release cinematic trailers years before games are even in the pre-production stage, it appears NetherRealm would prefer to work towards a fairly quick release window following a Mortal Kombat reveal trailer.

This means that despite Mortal Kombat 12 not being announced just yet, a lot of progress could still have been made on the game. If NetherRealm is looking to release Mortal Kombat 12 in a similar time frame to Mortal Kombat 11, meaning a few months after its reveal, it makes sense not to give fans the promise of a new game when it could still be a year or so away. After 2022 has seen a lot of delays in gaming, including big titles like Starfield, Redfall, and Hogwarts Legacy seeing their release dates pushed back, it would be a shame to see the next NetherRealm game follow in this trend.

And so, rather than making promises that are too big to keep, it seems NetherRealm is adopting a different approach, being more cautious with its reveals. A lot of fans will want to know that Mortal Kombat 12 is the next game NetherRealm has lined up, and while it will remain frustrating to not have that official announcement, the developer is offering a lot of transparency with its player base by informing them that it simply isn't ready for a grand reveal. In the long run, this is likely to benefit NetherRealm, too, as it will mean that there aren't false promises of a Mortal Kombat 12 release date that then leads to some intense crunch or a delay.

For those still wondering whether the next game NetherRealm releases will be Mortal Kombat 12, while there hasn't yet been an official confirmation, a lot of signs are pointing to it. Earlier this year, a job posting pointed to NetherRealm hiring for a melee-based combat game, which many assumed to be Mortal Kombat 12. Considering the uncertainty around the Injustice franchise as well, it seems likely that the company is returning to its most iconic IP, though there is the possibility of a big surprise.

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Mortal Kombat 12 Has a Lot To Accomplish

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NetherRealm might not be ready to reveal Mortal Kombat 12 because it wants to better perfect the new game. Mortal Kombat 11 came out back in 2019, and it changed a lot for the series. Mechanically, it introduced Fatal Blows, customizable character variations, the attack and defense meters, as well as a bunch of other minor changes. In the lore, too Mortal Kombat 11 shifted things up massively, bringing an end to the rebooted story first introduced in Mortal Kombat (2011) and potentially introducing fans to a complete reset of the timeline.

With all of these things accomplished in Mortal Kombat 11, the next game in the franchise has a lot to do. Theoretically, it could follow the narrative of the Aftermath DLC for Mortal Kombat 11, but this may prove to be too confusing compared to a full reset. Either way, to set up the story of Mortal Kombat 12, NetherRealm is going to have to put in a lot of work to ensure players new and old aren't left confused.

As with every new Mortal Kombat game, fans are often demanding that their favorite character be brought back. Therefore, building a roster for a new game is also going to be fairly time-consuming, especially if NetherRealm is planning to bring back some characters from the 3D Mortal Kombat titles. A lot of fans have high expectations for Mortal Kombat 12, both in its roster and story, and so it is likely that NetherRealm is ensuring that it lives up to these expectations by taking as much time to make the game as necessary.

Disregarding the chance of a leak, it seems that NetherRealm's next title will only be unveiled whenever the developer is ready to do so. Should that title be Mortal Kombat 12, as many have predicted, then hopefully the reveal will showcase that the wait was worth it. Considering the success of Mortal Kombat 11's gameplay, NetherRealm shouldn't have to change up too much in that department, but it does have some work to do with the series' story and characters, ensuring that fans are happy with the roster they're presented with and the direction of the narrative.

Mortal Kombat 12 is rumored to be in development.

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