Ed Boon Confirmed NetherRealm Studios Is Working On a New Mortal Kombat Game

Amid recent rumors that NetherRealm Studios is working on a third Injustice installment— spurred by a Warner Bros. Games employee's resume —studio head Ed Boon has made an unexpected statement regarding a different gaming franchise.

Promoting the upcoming Mortal Kombat II adaptation, which hits theaters on May 8, Ed Boon confirmed in a new interview with Collider that NetherRealm Studios is officially working on a new game in the Mortal Kombat franchise. When asked if he could drop a hint about a new installment in the series, Injustice 3, or something completely new, he replied as follows:

“I wish I could tease something. I think if I teased and gave it away, I would probably get in trouble. But we're definitely pursuing another Mortal Kombat game, and we're definitely doing more, as well, so there are a lot of parts on the stove, not just with games, though, with other forms of media and whatnot. So, we’ve got a lot of great announcements that are coming.”

This is quite an unexpected statement given the recent rumors regarding the imminent announcement of Injustice 3. However, Boon may simply be throwing fans off the scent; the game could actually be nearly finished, as suggested by the studio's recent job posting for testers on a project in an advanced stage of development. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that the new Mortal Kombat installment may only be in the early stages of development and is being built with a focus on next-generation consoles. In the same interview, Boon also stated that he would love to see a Street Fighter character as a guest in Mortal Kombat games:

“Well, if you would have asked me that 10 years ago, I probably would have listed the ones that we've done: Rambo, Terminator, RoboCop, Ghost Face. A lot of the films that we grew up with are just burned into our brains, and so it's just like a validation when we see Terminator in a Mortal Kombat game. So I think there still are a few. I would love to see a Street Fighter character in Mortal Kombat. I think that would be cool. I'm a huge fan of Street Fighter as well. We've had Joker, who was a really dark character, but DC and Marvel would be a lot of fun to see those characters as well.”

As for Mortal Kombat movie adaptation, in the latest interview with Game Informer UK, Boon teased that the upcoming second installment will include plenty of Easter eggs for the fans, as well as the possibility that there might be more than ten new movies in development at some point. The premiere date of Mortal Kombat II is set for May 8.

Are you excited that NetherRealm Studios is working on a new Mortal Kombat video game? Share your thoughts in the comments below!