Mortal Kombat Creative Director Ed Boon Teases The Release Window For Netherrealm S Next Game

The status of NetherRealm Studios has been up in the air since AT&T split off WarnerMedia and merged it with Discovery. Related or not, NetherRealm has been thrown off its cadence of major game releases every two years, with Mortal Kombat and Injustice taking turns since 2011. It’s now been three years since the release of Mortal Kombat 11, and NetherRealm’s next game has yet to even be announced. That may change relatively soon, though.

RELATED: Ed Boon Will Try to Get Raven for the Injustice 3 Roster

In a surprise Twitter AMA, Ed Boon responded candidly to a number of questions from fans of both Mortal Kombat and Injustice. Few expected Boon to respond to a question as direct as what the release window of NetherRealm’s next project was. Yet Boon responded by saying, “I really shouldn’t 23-answer that.” In other words, Boon is hinting that NetherRealm’s next game could tentatively be planned for release in 2023.

Several other answers from Boon add some other interesting details surrounding NetherRealm’s in-development work. For example, Boon also confirms that fans will know the name of NetherRealm’s next project by the end of 2023. Further, he says, “Signs point to yes,” for a reveal in 2023. However, he also clarifies that he “Can’t say” when Mortal Kombat 12 will arrive, and he won’t say when fans will know about what NetherRealm is working on. Still, hinting that the next NetherRealm game could be announced and released in 2023 in a Twitter thread is surprising, to say the least.

Boon also dances around a couple of subjects that have long been rumored without directly addressing them. For example, it’s been reported that NetherRealm’s next game is Mortal Kombat 12 and not Injustice 3. Boon answers many questions about Mortal Kombat in the thread, but when asked if they’re making Injustice 3, he says he hopes he gets the chance to make it. There are also rumors that NetherRealm could be sold, and Boon does seem dubious about future projects and cross-media offerings.

What matters, though, is that NetherRealm is currently hard at work on its new game, and whatever the future may hold that game could be revealed and potentially launched in 2023. That game seems likely to be Mortal Kombat 12. Hopefully, NetherRealm won’t keep fans waiting too long before a more formal announcement is made.

MORE: Why NetherRealm’s Absence at The Game Awards Could be a Good Thing for Mortal Kombat