While NetherRealm Studios has been quiet about what its next major project might be, recent rumors have indicated that the company is now working on a new superhero fighting game that could even be the long-awaited third entry in the Injustice franchise. Over the weekend, a listing on the website for Good Gamer Group – a company that organizes NDA-covered playtests – hints that Injustice 3 is further along in development.
The listing, as caught by Event Hubs, is for playtesters to try out a “AAA fighting game” and a “major 2D fighting game”. While the games’ titles haven’t been revealed, the few hints provided indicate that it might be a NetherRealm Studios project. Among these is a requirement to be present in Culver City, California, in the United States, which means that the fighting game is being developed by a Western company. While NetherRealm Studios is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has headquarters in New York and Culver City.
The playtest also requires experienced players who “rank in the top 25% in a major 2D fighting game”, which indicates a likely focus on deep mechanical aspects of the title.
NetherRealm Studios is well-known for its fighting games featuring 2D gameplay since the release of 2011’s Mortal Kombat, which essentially served as a reboot for the entire franchise following a few titles featuring 3D gameplay. Since then, the company has typically alternated between Mortal Kombat and Injustice games, both featuring 2D gameplay with a distinct lack of sidestepping.
While there are a few other major fighting games in the works, namely Virtua Fighter Crossroads, Dead or Alive 7, and Melty Blood Twi-Lumina, the first two are unlikely subjects of this playtest since they feature 3D gameplay, while the third one doesn’t quite meet the budgetary qualifications for a project to be considered a “AAA fighting game”.
Interestingly, a recent report has indicated that NetherRealm might be starting to move away from calling its superhero fighting game Injustice. This likely comes down to the fact that the stories about the Injustice universe were essentially all wrapped up with Injustice 2. Along with this, there are also plenty of new opportunities for the studio to tackle other major stories taking place throughout the DC comics line.
The last entry in the Injustice franchise was 2017’s Injustice 2, which came out on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. According to series co-creator and NetherRealm Studios’ CCO, Ed Boon, the title has sold more than 9 million copies since its release.
The franchise began with 2013’s Injustice: Gods Among Us, which featured a story revolving around an alternate universe version of Superman having gone insane after being tricked by the Joker, and coming to the conclusion that humanity needs him to be a dictator so that Earth could be forcefully guided into a utopia. That universe’s Batman decides to bring in superheroes from the main DC universe to fight off the tyrannical Superman. The sequel picks things up where the first title left off, with a brand-new threat showing up that forces a conflict between opposing sides.
