NetherRealm Studios still hasn’t revealed its next big console game, but it has announced one of its smaller projects. The studio unveiled Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a role-playing game in the popular series that will be coming out on mobile platforms in 2023.
NetherRealm is developing this collection RPG that has players building a roster of characters to use in real-time group battles. The studio did not release more details on its gameplay nor did it put out a trailer. The key art has Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Shao Kahn, Kitana, Jade, Raiden as they looked in Mortal Kombat 11, as well as Shinnok and Quan Chi, neither of whom were fully in that 2019 fighter.
It will also have the “first mobile-exclusive cinematic story experience for the franchise.” Mortal Kombat Mobile, which released around Mortal Kombat X, was more of a standard mobile fare with pared-down visuals, simplified mechanics, and a total lack of narrative. NetherRealm has developed a few mobile games in the past like Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, WWE Immortals, and the iOS and Android versions of Batman: Arkham Origins in addition to the aforementioned Mortal Kombat Mobile, but they were all collections of mostly story-free fights.
This is not the only game NetherRealm is working on as Mortal Kombat Co-Creator Ed Boon said the team was making multiple titles. It hasn’t been confirmed what the title or titles aside from Onslaught are, but some signs are pointing to another full Mortal Kombat game. Insider Jeff Grubb reported in August 2021 that the team is favoring Mortal Kombat 12. A quickly deleted desk photo from a NetherRealm employee also seemingly showed files that looked to be related to the series. And Johnny Cage’s voice actor posted a video of himself at Warner Bros.’ lot with some Mortal Kombat-esque music underneath before also scrubbing the footage shortly thereafter.
