Warner Bros. uncertainty allegedly leading to safe bet from NRS
It’s being reported that NetherRealm Studios — fresh off of calling time on mega-selling fighterMortal Kombat 11— are focusing on the development of a newMortal Kombatentry, rather than returning to the DC Comics-fueledInjusticeuniverse.
As reported by Giant Bomb reporter/trusted insider Jeff Grubb, NetherRealm Studios might be sticking with the franchise that brought it to the dance, rather than revisit the Batman vs. Superman shenanigans ofInjusticefor a third outing. Grubb suggests that the recent wheeler-dealing of publisher Warner Bros. — facilitated by the AT&T merger and the supposed shopping of Warner Bros. Games — has led Boon and co. to move straight into the production of its more financially lucrative, whale-attracting franchise.
“(The rumor) lines up with the reality, and it lines up with what I’ve heard, whereMortal Kombat 12would make the most sense because that’s a game they know will make money. It will sell well,” said Grubb in a new video. “Mortal Kombat 11was great. it’s doing well, but if you come out withMortal Kombat 12, it will also sell and do well […] 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.”
It’s snug thinking, with further weight added by the recent release of animated and (very successful) live-action movies set within the gory, claret-spillingMortal Kombatuniverse.Mortal Kombat, as a franchise, has never been the best fighting game on the block inanygeneration. But it hasalwaysbeen popular as a brand, and right now is more financially successful than it haseverbeen, if not from a creative standpoint. If you were a studio wanting to keep the stock high and keep your most personal brand closest to your chest, a newMortal Kombat(or a new remaster or spin-off) might be the way to go. And with several DC Comics games already en route — such as WB Montreal’sGotham Knightsand Rocksteady’sSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League—Injustice 3would risk becoming lost in the mix.
Time will tell. Frankly, as a stained-in-the-woolMortal Kombatfan, I’d much rather NetherRealm had focused longer onMortal Kombat 11.That title had more to give and needed further polish, and while we were offered a metric ton of paid kontent, and told that the plan was to supportMK 11for years and years, in reality, it has hada shorter support periodthan almost all of its contemporaries, includingTekken 7, Street Fighter V,andDragon Ball FighterZ. Still, the battle between MK as a respected fighting game entity and MK as a Warner Bros. pop culture cash cow has been warring sinceMortal Kombat(2011). There is unlikely to be a ceasefire anytime soon.
