NetherRealm Studios

NetherRealm Studios is a developer.

NetherRealm Studios Webpage, Facebook

An American development studio based in Chicago, Illinois. The team is part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and has been led by Ed Boon since 2010. The studio is best known for the Mortal Kombat and Injustice series.

History

Leaving Midway…

The history of NetherRealm Studios dates back to the era when Midway Games was a prominent name in the industry. The Chicago studio, under the wing of this publisher, simply called Midway Chicago, initially focused on creating games for arcades, which were later released on PC and consoles – the leading example among them was the Mortal Kombat series. Over time, the developers focused on working on PC and console productions, and in addition to the iconic fighting game series, their portfolio included titles such as Stranglehold and Blitz: The League.

…going to Warner Bros.

Following the bankruptcy of the studio's parent company in February 2009, the studio was acquired by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, which also acquired the rights to the Mortal Kombat franchise. The studio was renamed WB Games Chicago and subsequently hit by a wave of layoffs – everyone not involved in the development of the iconic series lost their jobs. Shortly thereafter, the studio, led by Ed Boon (an industry veteran and co-creator of Goro and Co.), was renamed NetherRealm Studios, and its logo featured one of the iconic fighters, Scorpion. Gamers then received official confirmation that the Mortal Kombat series was not being shelved.

The rebirth of Mortal Kombat…

Fans had to wait until April 2011 for NetherRealm Studios' debut project. That's when Mortal Kombat, a reboot of the series, was released. Initially released only for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the game later received ports for PlayStation Vita (in May 2012) and PC (in July 2013). The game drew heavily from the series' legacy, and the changes and improvements the developers implemented were well-received by players and reviewers. So, just when it seemed that NetherRealm Studios' next project would be another, and likely even better, Mortal Kombat…

…that same year, the studio released Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, a game developed for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. We had to wait two years for the studio's next "major" work.

…and clashing superheroes

In 2013, we got Injustice: Gods Among Us, not the next Mortal Kombat. The fighting game, in which players could fight as superheroes and villains from the DC Comics universe, was a hit with both players and reviewers. Like its predecessor, the game debuted on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in the following months, it received both mobile versions and a version for the Nintendo Wii U. Later, the Ultimate Edition, with all the add-ons, was released on PC and eighth-generation consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One).

As it turned out, Batman: Arkham City Lockdown was NetherRealm Studios' first, but not last, mobile game in 2014-2015. The team's portfolio then expanded with titles such as a special version of Batman: Arkham Origins, designed for smartphones and tablets, and WWE Immortals, a free-to-play fighting game.

Following the beaten path

Following the worldwide success of Injustice: Gods Among Us, NetherRealm Studios was now overseeing the development of not one, but two popular franchises. This would leave its mark on the company's work in the years to come. Back in 2015, the critically acclaimed tenth installment in the Mortal Kombat series, Mortal Kombat X, hit store shelves. It debuted on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and mobile devices. A year later, we got its enhanced edition called Mortal Kombat XL. Injustice 2 came out in 2017 on PC, consoles, and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

The first rumors that NetherRealm Studios was working on an eleventh installment in the Mortal Kombat series surfaced in May 2018. These reports, however, were not confirmed until December, when the developers officially announced Mortal Kombat 11. The game was released on PC and consoles on April 23, 2019 (the PC version was supervised by the Polish team at QLOC) and was warmly received by reviewers and players alike, marking the best debut in the series' history. Despite this, fans complained about the poor progression system, which was based on endless grinding; however, the team led by Ed Boon quickly rolled up their sleeves to address the biggest issues as quickly as possible.

In 2020, both a major expansion for Mortal Kombat 11, titled Aftermath, and the complete Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate edition were released. Meanwhile, NetherRealm Studios was quietly working on subsequent projects.

The first was Mortal Kombat 1, the twelfth main installment in the iconic series and its reboot. The game debuted on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S in September 2023. On Steam (it's worth noting that the PC version of the game was developed by the Polish studio QLOC), the title received "mostly positive" reviews, while according to Metacritic, the average ratings given by industry media ranged from 82 to 85/100 (depending on the platform). The project was a commercial success, reaching 3 million players within a few weeks.

NetherRealm Studios' second work was a mobile RPG titled Mortal Kombat: Onslaught. The free-to-play game was released on smartphones and tablets in October 2023. The future of this game was bleak. In July 2024, news broke that the game would be discontinued in October 2024. Furthermore, we learned at the time that the studio had undergone a wave of layoffs, resulting in dozens of people losing their jobs and the closure of its mobile division. However, these disruptions had no significant impact on NetherRealm Studios' core operations; Khaos Reigns, a major expansion to the best-selling Mortal Kombat 1, was scheduled to debut in September 2024.