It looks like Mortal Kombat 12 might not be using Unreal Engine 5 after all. Despite rumors it could be an upcoming showpiece for Unreal's newest game engine, there are indicating factors that suggest that may not be the case for the latest entry in the Mortal Kombat franchise.
To the surprise of fans, the announcement of Mortal Kombat 12 came from the unlikely source of a Warner Brothers earnings call. A new entry in NetherRealm's historic fighting game franchise was expected, but its somewhat unceremonious reveal in February 2023, as well as the fact that it is due out later in the same year, came as a small shock to Mortal Kombat fans. With NetherRealm announcing an end to DLC for Mortal Kombat 11 in 2021, gamers have been anxiously anticipating a reveal of the next chapter in the iconic fighting game franchise.
With its release in the first quarter of 2022, there has been plenty of speculation on which new games may be developed using Unreal Engine 5, with Mortal Kombat 12 being a prime example of what many thought could be a good fit. A recent job posting by NetherRealm Studio has cooled that rumor, as it seeks an advanced technical artist familiar with the UE4 dev engine. While experience in UE4 translates well into UE5 and no official word has come down from NetherRealm on what engine Mortal Kombat 12 will be developed on, the job listing does cast doubt that the next Mortal Kombat will utilize Unreal's most cutting-edge software.
As the industry is shifting to a new standard of game engine technology, the timing seemed to align for Mortal Kombat 12 to be developed on UE5. The notion was further supported by an earlier job posting from NetherRealm which suggested it was working in the new engine. Mortal Kombat has been known to be a showcase in fidelity, especially as it concerns ultra-visceral spectacles of gore, and such displays rendered with the power of UE5 would seem to be a perfect showpiece. While there have been a number of titles announced to be developed on Unreal Engine 5, few of them have as dedicated a fan base as Mortal Kombat.
With Mortal Kombat 11 running on a heavily-modified version of the Unreal 3 engine, there is little doubt that the franchise will make the jump. Whether this year's upcoming Mortal Kombat 12 will run on UE4 or UE5 is still unknown, but the most recent signs now point to it being the former.
Mortal Kombat 12 is in development.