The launch of Mortal Kombat 1 is approaching, and attention is increasingly turning to the creators at NetherRealm Studios, who have decided to stir up fans’ expectations for their games. The studio is on different ground with its new fighting game set to release on September 14th. It’s a new beginning for the franchise’s narrative, which may have affected its release lineup.
But NetherRealm doesn’t seem to be intimidated, on the contrary, it has big, expansive, ambitions for its fighting games and players can’t wait to see what’s next. An immediate Mortal Kombat sequel, a return to Injustice, or a new franchise entry, are all possibilities on the table right now.
A Mortal Kombat 1 Sequel Could Take Injustice 3’s Place in NetherRealm’s Release Lineup
Many are excited for Mortal Kombat 1, the complete reboot of the series, to arrive on consoles in a few weeks. However few expected a sequel to be so close to happening, and developers at NetherRealm Studios have indicated plans have already begun. So, in addition to the change that is already the concept of Mortal Kombat 1, more twists in the future of the studio are to come.
When asked during a recent game preview event what excited the Story Director, Dominic Ciancolo, most about the title, he said it was the opportunity of everything being reset. NetherRealm doesn’t see Mortal Kombat 1 as a single entry, but as the beginning of a new and greater story that begins to be told now.
He said the following about the game:
“I think there’s an expectation that was established because of Mortal Kombat 9. That was obviously a speed run through the first three games. So we saw characters fully develop to what people knew them to be over the course of that one game.
Mortal Kombat 1 as a narrative is a springboard. It’s the first step on this road. And so we’re going to obviously see the characters develop, they’re going to change, things are going to happen, but this is not the end. This is just the beginning. And so that’s going to be something we hopefully will evolve as we go forward.”
What’s surprising here isn’t that NetherRealm has a long-term plan for Mortal Kombat after this year’s release, but that the pattern of releases that had been going on since 2011, would be interrupted for the first time in over a decade. This sequel is the interleave between Mortal Kombat and Injustice that was made more than 10 years after the releases of Mortal Kombat 9 (2009) and Injustice: Gods Among Us (2011).
Related: Ed Boon Talks Injustice 3 and Discusses His Personal Idea File For the Next Game
Creator Ed Boon was recently asked about his ideas on a third entry in the DC Universe fighting game series, piquing the will of many fans to use Marvel characters as well. What he may be hiding is that it’s possible since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, including the video game properties, the franchise may have been one of the cuts necessary to tell a larger more connected story in that universe.
The new management promised that as long as they told their story, projects of all mediums would be considered good, but outside their intended canon, exist as Elseworlds. These would be stories in parallel universes, and Injustice could be considered one of those exceptions. Or they may be working within this new universe and needing more time to develop such a connected narrative.
Another possibility is that NetherRealm is betting on a completely new franchise, within or even outside its style of fighting games. Having had Injustice cut, involved in a new universe, or decided to venture into new terrain, the Mortal Kombat studio still has a lot of time to prep as a new title is not expected to be released until 2027.
What do you think is happening at Netherealm? What would you like to see after Mortal Kombat 1? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Comic Book
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