A new report has claimed that Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm Studios is working on Injustice 3, a new installment to the popular DC fighting game franchise.
In a new article on Mp1st, a blurred screenshot of an Warner Bros artist’s online resume lists Injustice 3 as a one of the games the developer has worked on, alongside Hogwarts Legacy 2 and two unannounced projects. Eurogamer can not verify the validity of this screenshot, nor the resume itself.
The vast majority of the resume screenshot has been blurred out by Mp1st “for confidentiality reasons”. This is not the first indication that Injustice 3 is in the works at NetherRealm. Last year, voice actors for Superman and Aquaman reportedly told members of the public they had worked on the game.
If this report is accurate, it would come roughly nine years after the release of Injustice 2. This beloved, if imperfect, fighting game garnered a lot of love from genre fanatics and DC fans alike, and it was the first fighting game to top UK sales charts in years following its release.
So how likely is this to be true? We know that NetherRealm Studios is working on something new. Major update support for Mortal Kombat 1 ended in May last year, despite prior statements indicating the game would be built upon for years to come. As part of this announcement, it was explicitly stated that focus would be spent on the studio’s “next project”, with no specific IP stated outright.
It would also come at an interesting time for NetherRealm. Warner Bros. (with NetherRealm Studios included) was recently acquired by Netflix in an $82.7bn deal. Prior to this, Warner Bros underwent some major restructuring as part of a pivot to refocus on ‘key IP’ like Mortal Kombat and its DC titles.
The two IPs NetherRealm has historically worked on – DC and Mortal Kombat – are both quite popular at the moment. The Mortal Kombat 2 movie coming out next month is getting glowing previews, which may build momentum that Netflix/Warner Bros may want to take advantage of through a new game.
That being said, DC is no slouch either: The Batman and The Penguin are critical and commercial successes when it comes to TV and film, and the comics arm of the company is having something of a renaissance thanks to the darker, grislier ‘Absolute’ run for Batman, Wonder Woman, and more.
All that in mind, it’s entirely feasible that Injustice 3 could be in the works, but it’s far from official as of writing. Still, if nothing else, it’s something for the Gamescom Opening Night Live or Summer Games Fest bingo sheet.
