Mortal Kombat 12 has officially been confirmed to launch in 2023, with the news revealed during a Warner Bros. earnings call, almost as an aside. While no trailers or other details were shared during the call, MK12 was mentioned as having ‘ambitious launch projections’ for the coming year.
The announcement appears to have come as a surprise for the game’s developers, with Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon later joking about it on Twitter. ‘So who has heard the news about INJUSTICE 3?’ he tweeted, following a clip from the earnings call going viral.
While the existence of the game isn’t a real shock, as far as game reveals typically go this is a very unusual one. While Mortal Kombat 12 was confirmed by official sources at Warner Bros. there is no accompanying press material, screenshots, clips, trailers, or any other confirmation of the game’s existence.
It was teased as being in development as early as 2021, when a list of upcoming games leaked, via Nvidia – Mortal Kombat 12 was listed alongside INJUSTICE 3 and an Arkham Knight RTX Remaster – but this is the first time the game has been acknowledged by Warner Bros. itself.
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Should Mortal Kombat 12 stick to its newly-announced release date, it will arrive during a stacked year for fighting games. The franchise’s closest rivals have always been Tekken and Street Fighter – and both are on track to launch sequels in 2023.
Street Fighter 6, the most ambitious Capcom fighter to date, has locked in a launch for 2 June 2023. While Tekken 8 does not have a confirmed release date, a string of recent trailers suggest it may also arrive shortly. With all three major fighting game franchises in play for 2023, we’re likely in for an impressive battle for dominance.
Stay tuned to hear more about Mortal Kombat 12 as Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios gear up for a more grandiose announcement. Hopefully, this one arrives with more concrete details about what to expect in the year ahead.
