With the announcement that Mortal Kombat 11's development cycle has come to an end, fans have been quick to share their thoughts on what NetherRealm's next game may be. Since NetherRealm's statement about Mortal Kombat 11, the general consensus appears to be that fans hope to see the next installment in an established franchise.
NetherRealm commonly adds guest characters to its games' rosters, so news of a new game brings with it wild fan theories and hopes for who may make a surprise appearance in the cast. For example, characters from Injustice and Mortal Kombat have since made appearances in each other's games, such as Joker being added as a DLC character in Mortal Kombat 11. Until official news is revealed about what NetherRealm's upcoming game is, fans are free to speculate and share the characters they would like to see.
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Based upon the timeline of NetherRealm game releases, fans are anticipating a third installment in the Injustice franchise. Fans suggest that there are still many DC Comics characters that could feature in a third Injustice game. Common characters being hoped for among fan wishlists are Beast Boy, Zatanna, Clayface, and Raven. Many fans also wish for the return of certain characters, such as Batgirl and Hawkgirl, who were last playable in Injustice: Gods Among Us. As for the third game's potential DLC characters, fans wish to see characters from Alan Moore's Watchmen, as well as Doom's Doom Slayer.
Fans speculate that it may be a while until a new Mortal Kombat game begins development, due to development having just concluded on Mortal Kombat 11. Injustice 2's narrative was left open-ended and could pave the way for a direct sequel, if NetherRealm does intend to continue the franchise. Injustice 2 had alternate endings based upon which character players chose to control in the game's final confrontation, with one path presenting a positive conclusion and the other presenting a nightmarish conclusion, and either ending may be canonical in a third Injustice game.
However, it has been heavily implied that NetherRealm's next game would be completely separate from franchises it has made before. Interviews with Ed Boon, Mortal Kombat and Injustice's co-creator, seem to tease a game that would have DC Comics characters battling against Marvel Comics characters. No official announcement or confirmation of such game currently exists, and it is entirely plausible that the studio's next game may be related to Injustice instead.
Mortal Kombat 11 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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