Mortal Kombat 12 Photo Leaks, But Was It On Purpose?
Did a new photo accidentally leak the news that a Mortal Kombat 12 was on the way? Or was this just a carefully placed piece of publicity?mort
This article is more than 2 years old
NetherRealm Studios, the game development studio credited with the Mortal Kombat series, has been quiet about their next project for quite some time. Not accounting for their Android and iOS releases, ever since 2011 NetherRealm Studios has usually alternated between Mortal Kombat and Injustice gaming releases every two years. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen another game from the studio in 2021, which means they either missed or deliberately abandoned their bi-annual releases in favor of a project they kept under wraps. However, the recent tweet from the studio’s senior production manager seems to imply that the dev team is making Mortal Kombat 12.
According to VGC, Jonathan Andersen, a senior production manager at NetherRealm Studios, appears to have leaked the existence of Mortal Kombat 12. However, the circumstances of the leak have led many to question whether the leak was a purely accidental or deliberate action. Andersen tweeted a photo of his desk, showing artwork printouts from Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Injustice 2.
However, at the corner of the image captioned “Old desk art” is Andersen’s monitor, which shows a file partially named “MK12_Mast…” suggesting that whatever he was looking at had something to do with Mortal Kombat 12. Of course, Andersen reportedly removed the image after approximately 10 minutes, as it apparently reveals information that NetherRealm Studios is, in fact, working on an unannounced MK12. You can see the deleted photo below:
Though it seems like an accident, and its removal only affirms the suggestions regarding the alleged Mortal Kombat 12, some believe that the leak was staged: a deliberate tease disguised to look like an accidental and unintentional share. Interestingly enough, the monitor also shows a segment of an email referring to a video that shouldn’t be shared, advising caution and extra care towards the material, as the studio’s “fans eagerly scrape the internet for any trace.”
The co-creator of the Mortal Kombat gaming series, Ed Boon, has previously stated several times that his tweets are not teases, despite being known for his playful attitude on the social media platform. Whatever the case may be, the email placement on the monitor, paired with file names displayed in the corner, is too good to be a coincidence, giving fans a hard time believing that the Mortal Kombat 12 leak was accidental.
We have previously reported that NetherRealm Studios was working on Multiversus — a fighting game featuring characters from various Warner Bros. IPs. However, it was later revealed that Player First Games was the studio behind Multiversus, discrediting any connection to NetherRealm Studios. So if NetherRealm Studios was working on a game at that point, it most certainly wasn’t Multiversus, or any other Warner Bros IP, for that matter, considering that WB is currently undergoing internal changes. Admittedly, Mortal Kombat is also Warner Bros. property, but considering just how immensely popular the game is compared to the Injustice series, it’s certainly less risky to make Mortal Kombat 12 —already highly anticipated among the fandom — than anything with DC Comics heroes.
