This was to be expected, given that the studio known for fighting games has essentially bounced between the two IPs for the past decade and a half.
The Mortal Kombat II movie debuts in theaters this week, and based on early reactions, its reception is much more favorable than that of the previous installment released in 2021. Early reviews highlight improved fight scenes, cooler costumes, more brutal fatalities, stronger character dynamics, and newcomer Karl Urban’s standout performance as Johnny Cage. Players, however, are probably more interested in the future of the game franchise.
Rumors of a new Injustice 3 developed by NetherRealm have been circulating since 2025, and recent reports have reignited those claims. Nevertheless, Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon told Collider that NetherRealm is definitely working on a new Mortal Kombat game. This does not mean Injustice 3 will not happen. In fact, it may come out first, but Boon’s statement confirms that Mortal Kombat is never truly buried in the developers’ minds. During the interview, Boon also discussed which guest characters from other franchises he would like to see in the next Mortal Kombat installment.
“I wish I could tease something… But if I gave it away, I’d probably get in trouble! But rest assured, we are pursuing another Mortal Kombat game, and we have more in the works. There are a lot of pots on the stove, not just with games, but with other forms of media, too. We have a lot of great announcements coming. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have listed the ones we’ve already done: Rambo, Terminator, RoboCop, and Ghostface. Many of the films we grew up with are burned into our brains, and it’s validating to see Terminator in a Mortal Kombat game. I think there are still a few out there. I would love to see a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat, I think that would be really cool, I’m a huge Street Fighter fan. DC and Marvel would be fun, too. We had the Joker, who was a really dark character, but those universes have so much more to offer”, Boon said.
This is essentially a direct admission that the studio also has plans for Mortal Kombat. The question is what impact the Paramount-Warner merger will have on all of this, and whether NetherRealm’s next few years will indeed be shaped by Injustice 3 followed by another Mortal Kombat.
Source: WCCFTech
