Ever since the release of the first title in the early nineties, the Mortal Kombat series has been a stalwart of the fighting game genre. There may have been some ups and downs over the years as Mortal Kombat faced stiff competition and temporarily lost some of its magic, but the last few entries have shown that the franchise is still something to be reckoned with, and fans are more than ready for Mortal Kombat 12. Reportedly due to release later this year, there wasn't a whole lot of fanfare for Mortal Kombat 12's initial announcement, but help for building hype might have just come from an unlikely source.
Mortal Kombat 12 is up against some formidable competition, not just because there are some highly anticipated games set to release in 2023, but also because competitor Street Fighter 6 is set to launch in June of this year too. Mortal Kombat 11 was well-received by fans and critics, but due to the lack of major coverage ahead of its sequel's release, players haven't really had a chance to get excited about Mortal Kombat 12 yet. However, the success of HBO's The Last of Us adaption and its Mortal Kombat reference might catapult the upcoming game to new levels.
Mortal Kombat's The Last Of Us Connection
Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was a massive hit when it was first released back in 2013. With its heart-wrenching story, pulse-pounding gameplay, and exploration of the human side of a post-apocalyptic world, The Last of Us was a masterpiece of character-focused gaming. It secured itself among the list of some of the best and most beloved games ever made in the minds of many, and it was unsurprisingly followed by a critically-lauded sequel, a remaster, and a recent television adaption.
HBO's The Last of Us was a faithful adaption of the first game for the most part, but it also added its own interpretations and embellishments, including during the flashback episode that covers the mall excursion in The Last of Us: Left Behind. In the narrative DLC, Ellie and Riley visit an old arcade and imagine playing a fictional fighting game called Angel Knives. Many have seen this as a reference to Mortal Kombat, especially with the line from the announcer telling the player to "finish him," an immortal phrase fans of the games will be familiar with. However, the HBO series took this a step further and actually had Ellie and Riley play Mortal Kombat 2 before their fateful encounter with a Clicker.
How Naughty Dog Could Help Mortal Kombat 12
HBO's series has been an undeniable hit with both fans of The Last of Us franchise and people who have never even picked up a controller, and being linked to the series can only help raise Mortal Kombat's profile with a variety of different audiences. Mortal Kombat 11 might only have been released a few years ago, but the gaming world moves quickly, and the franchise has to work hard to make sure it isn't drowned out by other competing IPs. Thanks to its prominent cameo in a significant episode in The Last of Us TV adaption, Mortal Kombat has been temporarily pushed to the front of the public consciousness once more.
Its spot in The Last of Us, especially in its arcade cabinet form, should provide a welcome hit of nostalgia for fans of the series, and could potentially pique the interest of new players as well. If Mortal Kombat 12 is still aiming to release this year, it needs to start ramping up its marketing ahead of the game's launch to ensure that it has a solid start. The Last of Us might have given the series an unexpected boost, but now it's up to NetherRealm Studios to capitalize on it.
Mortal Kombat 12 is in development.