NetherRealm’s next project has yet to be officially announced, but many believe it to be the third entry in the studio’s superhero fighting game series Injustice. Now, there are new signs that select few outside the studio are playing Injustice 3.
This all started with a post on Good Gamer Group, a company that provides NDA-protected testing services for game publishers. The post, since been deleted, was spotted by EventHubs (via Kotaku), which highlighted a number of curious pieces of evidence that all point to it being a NetherRealm project.
For starters, the listing includes two descriptors for the mystery game. It calls it a “triple-A fighting game” in one instance, and a “major 2D fighting game” in another. Neither is specifically limited to NetherRealm projects, of course, but as EventHubs points out, all the fighting games we know to be in the works are either smaller games or 3D fighters.
The location of the playtest is what gives us another clue. The playtest is held in Culver City, California, meaning the game is from an American studio. What’s more, NetherRealm’s parent company Warner Bros. Games also happens to be headquartered in the same city.
NetherRealm hasn’t been shy about confirming it’s working on new projects. Studio boss Ed Boon said in May the team is “actively pursuing another Mortal Kombat game” while “definitely doing more as well”. As EvenHubs also points out, the studio has been hiring QA testers and designers at various points this year.
Even beyond the studio itself, two voice actors who were part of the first two Injustice games let slip in 2025 they’re returning to voice their respective characters in Injustice 3, though they later walked it back, which is common when actors accidentally confirm the existence of unannounced projects. Indeed, Injustice 3 art popped up on a Warner Bros. Games artist’s online resume back in April.
The timing of this playtest is another element pointing towards it being a NetherRealm game. Since the release of Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023, the studio has seemingly shifted to a four-year development cycle, seeing as that game came out four years after its predecessor, Mortal Kombat 11.
An Injustice 3 in 2027 would make sense, and a reveal at The Game Awards in December would also line up with the studio’s reveal-to-release schedule. Mortal Kombat 11 was announced at The Game Awards, though the studio didn’t do the same with Mortal Kombat 1. Whatever plans NetherRealm has for this one, we’re clearly closer than ever now to some sort of reveal.
