This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Mortal Kombat series. Gamers haven’t heard much about a celebration for the event besides a YouTube video published on PlayStation’s account, and that clip just played footage of the games and media from the franchise over the years. We do know there will be a sequel to the New Line Cinema film that launched last year though. An now, Warner Bros. Games and NetherRealm Studios have announced Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a mobile RPG that will launch in 2023.
Per a press release, Onslaught “will feature the first mobile-exclusive cinematic story experience for the franchise,” which is a statement that doesn’t really say anything. Players will build a team of fighters from a wide array of characters. Battles will occur in “massive real-time group battles.”
“We are pushing the boundaries of Mortal Kombat to allow players to experience the franchise in new ways, while still staying true to its core visceral nature,” said NetherRealm Studios Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon. “With Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, we reimagined Mortal Kombat into a strategic team-based collection RPG with fast-paced, group melee combat that both new and existing fans can enjoy.”
Fans might remember 2015’s Mortal Kombat Mobile, which makes Mortal Kombat: Onslaught the second mobile title developed by NetherRealm Studios. That game had more than 150 million installs, so it’s obvious Warner Bros. Games is banking on a repeat success story. Interested parties can sign up for updates at the Mortal Kombat: Onslaught website. I can see a lot of people being upset by this news if this is all NetherRealm Studios has to show for the series’s big birthday, myself included.