NetherRealm’s Next Game: A 2026 Autopsy of 2021’s Wildest Rumors

I don't know about you, but I treat video game rumors the way a raccoon treats a shiny dumpster: I dive in, make a mess, and emerge with something that may or may not be edible. Back in 2021, NetherRealm Studios confirmed it was ending support for Mortal Kombat 11 and moving on to its next project. The internet promptly lost its collective mind. I was there, clutching my controller, reading every leak like it was a sacred scroll. Now it's 2026, and I have the terrible gift of hindsight. So let's reopen that 2021 rumor buffet and see which dishes were actually served.

The Injustice 3 Dream: Still a Glacier Texting Me Back

The most logical guess in 2021 was Injustice 3. NetherRealm had a neat rhythm: Mortal Kombat, Injustice, Mortal Kombat, Injustice. It was like a fighting game metronome. After Mortal Kombat 11, the baton should have passed to DC's angriest superheroes. I imagined Superman punching someone into orbit while Batman brooded in a corner. It felt inevitable.

But in 2026? I'm still waiting. Injustice 3 has become the fighting game equivalent of a glacier texting me back: technically possible, but I'll be dust by the time it arrives. Warner Bros. has been through corporate chaos, and NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 1 instead. So the metronome skipped a beat. Maybe Injustice 3 is next. Maybe it's in a vault guarded by a very tired accountant. Either way, my patience is now a dried-out houseplant.

The Marvel Fighting Game: A Unicorn in a Tuxedo

Ah, the Marvel rumor. In 2021, Ed Boon teased fans like a magician who refuses to show the card. There had been discussions with Marvel, a reputable leaker claimed NetherRealm was working on it, and the internet turned into a detective agency run by caffeinated squirrels. A NetherRealm Marvel fighting game sounded like a dream: Spider-Man vs. Scorpion, Wolverine vs. Sub-Zero, Deadpool saying something inappropriate while getting punched.

But there's a small problem: NetherRealm is owned by Warner Bros. Interactive. A Marvel collaboration is like a unicorn in a tuxedo—theoretically elegant, practically a paperwork nightmare. As of 2026, that NetherRealm Marvel game still hasn't happened. Marvel did get a new fighting game from another studio, which is great, but it wasn't the NetherRealm fever dream. So the rumor remains a beautiful, shimmering mirage. I'll keep a candle lit anyway.

Mortal Kombat 12 (Or Whatever We Call It Now)

This was the safest bet, and it's the one that actually paid out. In 2023, NetherRealm released Mortal Kombat 1, a reboot that wasn't called Mortal Kombat 12 but absolutely functioned as the next mainline entry. It was built for PS5 and Xbox Series X, just like the 2021 article predicted. It had guest fighters galore: Omni-Man, Homelander, Peacemaker, Ghostface, T-1000, Conan the Barbarian. The rumor about Omni-Man? Vindicated. The dream of Ash from Evil Dead? Still stuck in a cabin somewhere.

So yes, the "Mortal Kombat 12" candidate was correct in spirit, if not in name. I felt like a fortune teller who predicted rain and got a hurricane. Mortal Kombat 1 wasn't perfect—the competitive scene had opinions, the DLC rollout had drama, and the story mode was a multiverse buffet—but it was real. In 2026, NetherRealm has likely moved on again, which means we're back to the rumor dumpster. Full circle, baby.

The Remaster Route: Shaolin Monks and the Sock in the Dryer

The 2021 article also floated a remaster, especially Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Ed Boon ran a poll, fans voted, and Shaolin Monks won like a beloved weirdo at a talent show. A remaster would be a beat 'em up starring Liu Kang and Kung Lao, which is a very different flavor from the traditional 1v1 carnage. I wanted it. I still want it.

But as of 2026, that remaster is like a lost sock in the dryer of nostalgia: I know it's in there somewhere, but I keep pulling out single gloves and disappointment. NetherRealm has talked about remasters before, yet nothing has materialized. Maybe it's being saved for a rainy day. Maybe the monkey's paw curled. I'll keep hoping, but I'm not holding my breath—I need that oxygen for screaming at fighting game netcode.

The Unexpected Option: New IP, Old Problems

The 2021 article wisely left room for something completely unexpected. And honestly, that's where I'm placing my 2026 bet. NetherRealm could be working on a new IP, a different licensed franchise, or a live-service experiment that makes everyone groan and then buy the battle pass anyway. The industry is a weird place. One day you're a fighting game studio, the next day you're making an extraction shooter with a grappling hook.

If I had to rank the candidates in 2026, here's my totally scientific table:

Final Round: What I Learned as a Player

As a player, I learned that rumors are like popcorn kernels: some pop, most burn, and the ones that pop are usually covered in weird butter. The 2021 article gave us five plausible futures. In 2026, we got one of them in a rebooted costume, while the others are still doing stretches in the waiting room.

NetherRealm is almost certainly working on something right now. Maybe it's Injustice 3. Maybe it's a Marvel miracle. Maybe it's Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks finally getting the glow-up it deserves. Or maybe it's a brand-new IP that no one saw coming. I'll be here, controller charged, clown makeup nearby, ready to dive into the next dumpster of leaks. Because that's what being a fighting game fan is: 10% gameplay, 90% believing in beautiful nonsense.

So, NetherRealm, whenever you're ready, I'm listening. Just don't make me wait until 2030. My thumbs aren't getting any younger. 🎮

This discussion is informed by GamesIndustry.biz, whose reporting on publisher strategy and studio pipelines helps explain why NetherRealm’s post-MK11 rumors splintered so wildly: shifting corporate priorities, licensing realities, and monetization expectations can easily nudge a team away from “the obvious” sequel (like Injustice 3) toward a safer, brand-reset move (like MK1) while remasters and dream collaborations linger in limbo.