Ed Boon, co-creator of the much-loved Mortal Kombat series and head of NetherRealm Studios, recently posted a tweet wherein he revealed that the video game developer is currently focused on the franchise’s 30^th anniversary. In the same tweet, Boon stated that the studio’s next game announcement will happen in due time. However, he neglected to mention which game the studio will be releasing next, whether it is another Mortal Kombat title or Injustice 3. There have also been rumors that the Chicago-based studio will work is working on a Marvel vs. DC fighting game.

PSA/FYI We know a lot of you are excited about the next NRS game announcement & it will happen in due time. But first it all about 30 years of Mortal Kombat. That's what we're going to celebrate and focus on.

Our next game announcement will be separate from MK30 ❤️

— Ed Boon (@noobde) October 5, 2022

Earlier in the year, the Johnny Cage voice actor, Andrew Bowen, posted that said he is doing something with Warner Bros., NetherRealm’s parent company. While this could have hinted at anything, the actor used Mortal Kombat 2 music as the video’s background sound.

This, alongside the fact that the actor had earlier posted similar updates, strongly implied that NetherRealm Studios is working on another Mortal Kombat game. However, an Nvidia leak last year seemed to suggest that NetherRealm Studios is working on Injustice 3, which is scheduled for a January 3, 2023 release.

Given all the conflicting rumors making the rounds, the jury is still out on which game the studio will be releasing next.

The first Mortal Kombat game was released in 1992. It was developed by Midway Games and was a 2D fighting game. Since then, there have been 10 other releases with the latest, Mortal Kombat 11, released in 2019. With over 73 million units sold, the Mortal Kombat series is the most successful fighting game franchise of all time. The franchise has also been adapted into other media, including live-action films and series, animations, and comics, among others and is one of the most successful and highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Also, the Mortal Kombat game franchise is one of the most violent video game series in the world. In fact, the initial game release generated much controversy and is, in part, responsible for the establishment of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) which assigns age and content ratings to consumer video games based on the volume of violent and sexual content they contain, among other things.

Mortal Kombat’s 30^th anniversary will take place on October 8. On September 26, the studio released a PlayStation 5 "Ultimate" bundle to commemorate the anniversary. The bundle had an exclusive Steelbook box, a 4k Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc of the Mortal Kombat reboot, and a Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate. However, the bundle did not include anything reminiscent of the original Mortal Kombat game, which left many fans disappointed. Nevertheless, especially in light of Boon’s statement, fans of the franchise will be eagerly looking forward to the anniversary to see if NetherRealm has anything special in store.