Mortal Kombat Reveal Set For Thursday

A report suggests Mortal Kombat 12 will in fact be a reboot called Mortal Kombat 1, and we should know more soon.

13 Comments

May 17 update: NetherRealm has now confirmed that a reveal of some sort is coming on Thursday, May 18, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET. A short teaser trailer has been published on the official Mortal Kombat YouTube channel, which you can watch below. This repeats the same focus on the numbers 12 and 1 on a clock, which sees its glass shatter before the reveal time is confirmed along with the words "it is time." We'll report back with all the details once they're announced.

May 11 update: Following the most recent Mortal Kombat teaser suggesting some shenanigans around the usage of the numbers 12 and 1 for the next game's title, a new report has emerged that states the game will indeed be a reboot called Mortal Kombat 1. On Twitter, leaker billbil-kun claimed Mortal Kombat 1 is the official title and that it will launch for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Windows Central subsequently reported the same details, and that a reveal is scheduled for sometime in the next few weeks. The original story follows.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.
This video has an invalid file format.
00:00:00
Sorry, but you can't access this content!
Please enter your date of birth to view this video

By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Now Playing: Mortal Kombat - "It Is Almost Time" Teaser Trailer

A new teaser for something related to Mortal Kombat has gone up, suggesting Mortal Kombat 12 news could be on the horizon. The video may even hint at the possibility of a reboot for the franchise, though details remains vague at this point.

In the video posted on the official Mortal Kombat Twitter account--and also by Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon--a clock can be seen counting up from nine and up to 11. But once it gets to 12? The hour-hand straight-up skips that number and goes straight back to one on the clock.

In the Mortal Kombat timeline, this actually makes sense, as that game ended with a big tease of a major reset. In case you haven't played through the story mode of that game yet, you can skip past the next two paragraphs if you want to avoid spoilers.

Scorpion has your back.
Scorpion has your back.

2019's Mortal Kombat 11 saw Kronika, the elder god of time, attempt to create a new reality. After various chronal shenanigans in the previous games, Kronika's attempt to rewrite history was ultimately foiled, and in the canon ending for the game and its Aftermath expansion, Fire God Liu Kang takes control of Kronika's hourglass and uses it to forge a new era for the Mortal Kombat universe.

After dealing with Shang Tsung once and for all, Kang succeeds in creating a new timeline, and he travels back into the past to meet and train Kung Lao's ancestor, the Great Kung Lao, for the Mortal Kombat tournaments that lie ahead.

This isn't the first tease of a new Mortal Kombat from developer NetherRealm, as the studio hid a potential hint at the game in a recent video celebrating 30 years of the franchise. During the Warner Bros. Q1 2023 earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav also casually mentioned a new Mortal Kombat game that is aiming for a 2023 release date. There's no shortage of events that a new Mortal Kombat game could be announced at, as the Not-E3 schedule for the next few months includes Summer Games Fest and Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Fighting game fans are eating very well lately, as June will see the release of Street Fighter 6 from Capcom, and development on Tekken 8 continues at Bandai Namco.

Mortal Kombat could also be headed back to theaters soon, and it's rumored that Karl Urban could join the cast as Johnny Cage, alongside other returning faces from the 2021 film.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Join the conversation
There are 13 comments about this story
13 Comments  RefreshSorted By 
GameSpot has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to toxic conduct in comments. Any abusive, racist, sexist, threatening, bullying, vulgar, and otherwise objectionable behavior will result in moderation and/or account termination. Please keep your discussion civil.

Avatar image for xboxplayer1
xboxplayer1

54

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

Lets get back to the basic with no flashy combos and stuff. Just a be a great fighter own it's own.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mareo147
Mareo147

77

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

For some reason I think this time Kung Lao is gonna be the protagonist because Liu did hinted that with choosing bith Liu's and Kung's ancestor the Great Kung Lao to be his champion at the of the aftermath dlc. I just want something different this time not just another 2d/3d style game like the last 3 games heck SF6 and Tekken 8 are doing something way different with their franchises and I want MK to do the same or go back to 3d atleast.

2 • 
Avatar image for xboxplayer1
xboxplayer1

54

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@mareo147: No I just want it to go back to the basics without all the flashy combos and stuff, and be like the originals MK1-MK2

Upvote • 
Avatar image for boobytrap
BoobyTrap

413

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

OMG! Are they reading my mind?! I so wanted them to remake the first game(s). Awesome news!

Upvote • 
Avatar image for gamerboy100
gamerboy100

856

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Hopefully they won't do that stupid crap where you needed internet to unlock stuff in the game. There was absolutely no reason for them to do that, especially since no game before it required that.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for Lach0121
Lach0121

11779

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 17

User Lists: 0

I don't care what it is called.

If it still has the same BS that the last few had where local guest player two cannot use the unlocks (characters, skins, accessories etc) that player one earns.... I will probably pass on it.

Great fighters, but that crap destroys any local party gaming with friends unless they all have a profile they are unlocking stuff for.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for uninspiredcup
uninspiredcup

54777

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 86

User Lists: 2

The PC launch was pretty terrible, be holding off until get a proper gouge of the port quality.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for KingWormer
KingWormer

54

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

Long as the game play is the same I’m down. Give me new characters. Tired of sub zeros and other repeats characters.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for boobytrap
BoobyTrap

413

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@KingWormer: If the new characters are as terrible as Kollector, then no, thank you! All the classic characters are the best ones in each entry.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

2181

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

MK11 is one my favorite fighters of all time. Definitely interested to see where they take the games next. If they do some kind of reboot I hope there's a catch or they change things around so it's not all predictable.

Upvote • 
Avatar image for halfofme07
HalfOfMe07

146

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 0

@mooglestar: Lol, maybe it'll be a game based on a movie based on a game, with Cole Young as the focus. And we'll have to buy figurines to put in a base to unlock characters. It'll be fantastic. Yes, I am being sarcastic.

2 • 
Avatar image for mooglestar
MoogleStar

2181

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 5

@halfofme07: Oh lord 😅

Upvote •