Very soon,Mortal Kombat 12should be revealed. Having been announced prematurely during an investment call, fans are anxious to see what the title is actually like. NetherRealm Studios choosing to skip its typical two-year release cycle in favor of a four-year one hasn’t helped matters. Neither has the status quo-shattering ending ofMortal Kombat 11, which had fans guessing about the story and setting ofMortal Kombat 12ever since.
If recent rumors are correct,Mortal Kombat 12should be shown in May or June, with a recent teaser making this all the more likely. NetherRealm Studios released aMortal Kombat30th Anniversarycelebration video on social media, and it ended with a message from series creator Ed Boon that the festivities weren’t over. This segwayed into an animation of sand falling from an hourglass before the final grain explodes. It’s hinting at something, and theMortal Kombat 11-related time imagery is apparent. What fans are puzzling over is whether that’s the only narrative connection, and if there’s something else to be gleaned aboutMK12itself.
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Examining the Mortal Kombat 30th Anniversary Teaser For Clues
On one hand, an hourglass reaching the end of its sand could be taken literally. It’s almost time forMortal Kombat 12to be revealed, and the revelation should usher the game in with a bang. However, thanks toMortal Kombat 11’s plot revolving around Kronika’s hourglass, that’s not the only way to read this teaser. It could simply be interpreted as the previous universe’s time running out, with the explosion at the end representing a Big Bang as Liu Kang forges a new timeline. But once again, there may be a more subtle meaning here.
Fans have been discussing what else this teaser could indicate aboutMortal Kombat 12, and one of the more likely ideas involves some sort of multiverse. The last grain of sand exploding could be seen as one world becoming many, which already fits withMortal Kombat’s Realm system.MK11was aboutMortal Kombat’s past and present converging, so it would make sense to go even further in the following game. There’s a case to be made thatMK12would be better served by establishing its new universe, but afterMortal Kombat 9and10just did that, another soft reboot is the perfect time to mix things up.
How Mortal Kombat 12 Can Work A Multiverse Into Its Story
Mortal Kombat 12has several ways to tackle a multiverse. The first is building off of what it already has, that being the two previous timelines from olderMKtitles, as well as numerous time loops implied inMK11. Characters could be portrayed with the same tone that they had in a given title, differentiating this somewhat fromMK11’s past and present selves. Still, this is derivative ofMK11’s plot, soMK12may instead pick up after both endings ofMortal Kombat 11: Aftermath. The bad ending where Shang Tsung takes over could serve as an antagonistic force, and the story would expand into other worlds later on.
One other direction thatMortal Kombatis uniquely suited to taking is a direct crossover with guest properties likeInjustice. With both theInjusticegames andMortal Kombat 11being predicated on different versions of characters fighting, it’s not out of the question to have them merge intoanotherMortal Kombat vs. DC Universegame. Even NetherRealm’s rumored Marvel fighting game could get in on the action with a couple Marvel guests popping in. Whether a multiverse is truly in the cards forMortal Kombat 12or not, instituting one down the line would be a great way to expand the classic fighting game franchise’s scope even further.
Mortal Kombat 12is scheduled to release in 2023.
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