Well, we finally have our answer folks. There's been raging hype-storms and debates, expectations and anticipations, clickbait and leaks, fake news and trolls but we now know, definitively, that Mortal Kombat 11 is not forthcoming, nor is any other NRS game.
Ed Boon here playing the part of Sub Zero, while Johnny Cage is portrayed by the NRS community's hype
This was confirmed by the man himself, Ed Boon, at his annual E3 interview with GameBomb. In general, NRS has cleaved to the established pattern of announcing or demonstrating a game at E3 in a year ending with an even number (0,2,4,6) and releasing a game the following year (11,13,15,17). This cycle, which meant that a game would be released, supported and patched for a year before being concluded in a 'komplete/ultimate/legendary' edition and then forgotten as the next game loomed, had led many, if not all, fans to conclude that the next NRS game would be announced at E3 and, given that the last NRS game was Injustice 2, to conclude that the next NRS game would be the long-awaited Mortal Kombat 11.
This has been confirmed as not true by Boon. As can be seen in the video below, with a brief interview starting at 2 hours, 5 minutes, Ed notes that NRS had instituted a rhythm but was surprised fans had cottoned onto it to the degree we had, which was admittedly somewhat Pavlovian. He confirmed that NRS have consciously decided to 'break the pattern', and that there is nothing explicitly forthcoming from NRS.
Of course, Ed can never be totally without his troll-side, as he himself lampshades later in the interview, and hints that there is something that he is 'chomping at the bit to announce' but that right now, there is nothing to discuss on the NRS front, be it Mortal Kombat or Injustice.
Pictured: what we know of NRS' plans.
So where does this leave the community? Hard to say. Injustice 2 is, in my view, the absolute best game NRS have ever made, lootbox shenanigans aside, and there is a huge volume of content in it, but it's endemic in the NRS community that the hype for Injustice games fade quickly after six months or so, which is natural considering the bulk of the NRS scene were brought together by our love for Mortal Kombat.
People also often grow tired of the more considered style of Injustice 2, which tends to emphasis zoning, footsies and, I would argue, fundamentals more than the mad-cap, all action style that was encapsulated by the 50/50 fest that was MKX.
The community was more than ready for MK11 but it would seem that NRS is electing to break the cycle. It's also worth noting that NRS has been incredibly silent for basically the last year, including the 25th anniversary of the release of the first Mortal Kombat in Arcades. This consequentially means that it NRS will seemingly be doing nothing major for the 25th Anniversary of its flagship franchise.
Maybe to work on new engines, maybe to work on a whole new property. Hell, maybe that horror fighting game Ed's been crushing on for a decade will finally come to fruition but it seems like we won't know anything for quite a while. It may even be that NRS are done with this generation and are eyeing up the eventual successors to the PS4 and XBone.
On the plus side, if anyone leaked details of MK11, they can safely be discarded as knowing Sweet F.A. And all the tiresome insane Youtube clickbait might return to its usual level. Also, World Cup kicks off today. So that's cool, got that going for us.
Regardless, you can trust us here at TYM to keep providing you with AAAAALLL the latest news on Injustice 2, the wide world of Mortal Kombat and everything NRS. As
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