Mortal Kombat 1 developer NetherRealm selected its subsequent sport three years in the past, Ed Boon has confirmed.
In a tweet, Boon mentioned NetherRealm deliberate to help Mortal Kombat 1 “for a very long time to return,” after an interview with ComicBook quoted the developer as saying “NetherRealm’s subsequent sport has been in growth for 3 years.”
“Love the truth that there’s pleasure for our subsequent sport,” Boon later clarified. “And I don’t wish to be a stickler for phrases…
“However we haven’t been engaged on our subsequent sport for 3 years already. The precise quote was that we knew what our subsequent sport was going to be three years in the past.
“NetherRealm remains to be totally dedicated to supporting Mortal Kombat 1 for a very long time to return.”
Boon’s feedback come as NetherRealm releases the Khaos Rising growth for Mortal Kombat 1. It provides new story mode chapters obtainable from September 24, together with Kombat Pack 2, which itself contains six new DLC characters: Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot (obtainable on September 24), and visitor fighters Ghostface (Scream franchise), T-1000 (Terminator 2: Judgement Day), and Conan the Barbarian (post-launch launch timing to be introduced at a later date). Mortal Kombat 1 itself has offered over 4 million copies since launching in September 2023.
However what’s subsequent? Most followers of the studio’s work anticipate it to launch a 3rd sport in its DC combating sport franchise, though neither NetherRealm nor proprietor and writer Warner Bros. has but to verify that. The primary sport within the sequence, Injustice: Gods Amongst Us, launched in 2013, with its sequel, Injustice 2, popping out in 2017. NetherRealm launched Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and for a time it appeared just like the studio would alternate between Mortal Kombat and Injustice video games, but it surely went on to launch one other Mortal Kombat, the comfortable reboot that’s Mortal Kombat 1, final yr as an alternative.
In an interview with IGN in June 2023, Boon spoke in imprecise phrases about this choice. “There have been a lot of elements, a few of which I can speak about, a few of which I most likely should not,” Boon mentioned.
Two causes Boon was prepared to debate had been the unlucky onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the workforce’s alternative to change to a more recent model of the Unreal sport engine (Mortal Kombat 11 runs on Unreal Engine 3, whereas Mortal Kombat 1 runs on Unreal Engine 4).
“However we did go to a brand new graphics engine, Unreal,” Boon mentioned. “We actually wished to watch out with COVID and all that stuff and all people staying protected. So there have been a bunch of variables concerned that ultimately we realized, ‘Okay, let’s do one other Mortal Kombat sport and hopefully we’ll get again to the Injustice video games.’ “
Simply to make certain, we wished to verify with him immediately that the door was not closed on the Injustice franchise.
“In no way,” Boon answered.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.