A WB earnings call confirms Mortal Kombat 12 will launch this year, despite zero confirmation of the game before now

For a while, fans have pestered the good people at NetherRealm Studios about Mortal Kombat 12. It’s been four years since the release of Mortal Kombat 11, so fans believe it is time for a new entry in the ultra-violet series. While series creator Ed Boon has been coyed about a new Mortal Kombat game, a recent earnings call from Warner Bros. Discovery has confirmed that Mortal Kombat 12 will launch this year.

Fans and journalists are flabbergasted by the reveal of Mortal Kombat 12. Other than some troll response by Boon on social media and some leaks, there has been no official indication of a new Mortal Kombat game beforehand. Neither Warner Bros. nor NetherRealm Studios released a new trailer to show off the new game, it was revealed by Andrew Slabin, Warner Bros. Discovery’s executive vice president of global investor strategy, during an Earnings Call. Considering the title is set to release this year, it’s shocking that the general public knows so little about it.

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It is possible that Slabin mistakenly and preemptively announced Mortal Kombat 12 without consulting with NetherRealm Studios and Ed Boon. It is also plausible Mortal Kombat 12 may not reach its 2023 release window as triple-A games get postponed all the time. However, given the long wait since Mortal Kombat 11, releasing Mortal Kombat 12 this year would make a lot of sense. Fans are dying to see their favorite Kombatants again, and NetherRealm Studios doesn’t have any new games in its line-up.

With that said, if Mortal Kombat does release this year, it will release in a year that is already full of highly anticipated games. Major titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and a new entry for Mortal Kombat’s main competitor, Street Fighter, will release this year. If Mortal Kombat 12 intends to launch in the next 10 months, then Ed Boon and NetherRealm Studios will have to go overtime with the marketing starting now.