Back in July 2021, NetherRealm Studios announced that they were ending support for Mortal Kombat 11, as the studio is "now focusing on its next project." Many believed that this next project could be Injustice 3, with the studio traditionally flipping between their famous fighting game and the studio's DC Universe-themed fighter.
There had even been rumours of a possible Marvel fighting game too, but recent leaks have suggested that actually, the next entry in the Mortal Kombat series could be the most likely scenario.
If you're keen to know everything about Mortal Kombat 12, then read on. We also have the latest on other fighting games, including Street Fighter 6.
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+ 3Mortal Kombat 12 leaks and news
Ed Boon has now said that you shouldn't expect to see a Mortal Kombat 12 announcement as part of the MK30 anniversary. Instead, any reveal of a new game will be separate.
With the EVO Championships taking place this week, Ed Boon spoke about what to expect from his studio and their games.
He confirmed that we won't see anything from Mortal Kombat 12 at the show in a quote tweet, which you can see below:
The latest leaks consist of so called insiders saying they expect to hear more on the game this year.
How reliable these leaks are, we don't know, but it's not against the realm of possibility.
25 February 2022 -
Ed Boon has just teased the next game from NetherRealm Studios and it looks like the studio is working on something big, with Boon claiming that he will “get in a lot of trouble” if he says too much. Intriguingly though, it does seem as though Boon might be hinting that the game won't be Mortal Kombat 12 or Injustice 3. Follow the link to read more.
28 January 2022 -
A now-deleted tweet from NetherRealm senior production manager Jonathan Andersen showed his desk which contains artworks from Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Injustice 2, as well as his monitor which showed a file named MK12_Mast…
There was also an email where a part of it reads as: “our fans eagerly scrape the internet for any trace” of Mortal Kombat information, adding: “Take extra care with this material.” This has brought fans to wonder if this was a deliberate leak since it came from an actual NetherRealm official. Nothing has been confirmed so far by the studio or WB Games about this matter.
21 August 2021 -
Many suspected that Injustice 3 was in early development and primed for NetherRealm's next release, but according to influential in-the-know journalist Jeff Grubb, that might not be the case (thanks VGC).
Speaking on a new Giant Bomb video, it's implied that the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Warner Brothers Games has led to NetherRealm changing projects.
“It lines up with the reality and it lines up with what I’ve heard, where Mortal Kombat 12 would make the most sense because that’s a game they know will make money, it will sell well… Mortal Kombat 11 was great, it’s doing well, but if you come out with Mortal Kombat 12 it will also sell and do well,” Grubb said speaking on the Giant Bomb.
“At the same time, you don’t have to use any of these Batman or Superman characters that might be tied up in licensing if you try to get rid of NetherRealm or sell it to whoever.”
18 June 2020 -
NetherRealm Studio's latest job ad states that the studio is seeking a Principal Software Engineer "to drive the next generation console graphics vision for the Mortal Kombat and Injustice franchises."
click to enlarge + 3Mortal Kombat 12 release date
It's hard to make any firm suggestions for when Mortal Kombat 12 could release, as it's difficult to know if production for Injustice 3 was initially the priority for NetherRealm over the past few years.
One would suspect that if NetherRealm was working on Mortal Kombat 12, the best-case scenario is that it might release in the second half of 2022, but more likely, we suspect it will launch in early 2023.
Traditionally NetherRealm has released a new game every two years, which you can see from the below list:
- 2013 - Injustice Gods Among Us
- 2015 - Mortal Kombat X
- 2017 - Injustice 2
- 2019 - Mortal Kombat 11
- 2020 - Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath (Expansion)
However, a possible change in direction coupled with the obvious issues for studios brought about by the global COVID pandemic could mean we're waiting that little bit longer for the next NetherRealm release.
click to enlarge + 3Mortal Kombat 12 story
We'll try to go more in-depth on the game's full story in another page as it deserves more attention and analysis than a small paragraph. But it seems safe to assume that Mortal Kombat 12 will continue on from the end of the Mortal Kombat 11 Aftermath DLC.
In this story expansion to Mortal Kombat 11, there are actually two endings, depending on if you choose to fight Kronika as Liu Kang or Shang Tsung.
If you choose Shang Tsung, you'll get 'the bad' ending, but if you choose Liu Kang, you get the 'good ending' which is widely regarded to be canon. You can see this just below:
In this ending we see Liu Kang, now 'Lord Liu Kang, God of Thunder & Fire' use the hourglass to create a new history before fading to black. We next see what many believe is the Wu Shi Academy, where Mortal Kombat characters like Kung Lao and Liu Kang were once trained to become Shaolin Monks.
He greets a youthful Kung Lao who Lord Liu Kang has chosen as his new champion. He next explains that they must begin his "training". When Kung Lao asks what he needs to be trained for, Liu Kang does not speak, offering only a smirk as we cut to the credits.
It would suggest that Mortal Kombat 12 is likely the start of a whole new era, potentially decades before most of the previous MK games so far.
Mortal Kombat 12 characters
Again, we won't do a full deep dive as, like the story, it requires a bit more attention and explanation, especially when it comes to suggesting which characters won't be included.
For now, it seems a safe bet that we can at least expect to see Lord Liu Kang, God of Thunder & Fire as well as this young untrained Kung Lao.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Mortal Kombat 12 and Hubs page.