When Mortal Kombat burst onto the arcade scene on October 8, 1992, it spawned excitement, controversy, and a variety of sequels and spinoffs.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Games announced the latest spinoff, Mortal Kombat: Onslaught (MKO), an upcoming role-playing game (RPG) set in the Mortal Kombat universe.
The game will launch globally for mobile devices in 2023.
The franchise’s previous release, Mortal Kombat 11, a fighting game, debuted on April 23, 2019.
A New Type of Mortal Kombat Game
MKO developer and co-publisher NetherRealm Studios says the new game is the franchise’s first mobile-exclusive cinematic story experience.
Previously, NetherRealm and Warner Bros. released Mortal Kombat Mobile (MKM) in 2015 as a tie-in for Mortal Kombat X.
The Mortal Kombat Mobile name changed to Mortal Kombat in 2019.
According to Warner Bros. Games, MKM has more than 150 million installs, making it one of the top five most downloaded iOS and Android fighting games.
“Mortal Kombat is a legendary franchise and pop culture phenomenon, and it continues to engage players and advance the fighting genre across multiple platforms,” says Warner Bros. Games President David Haddad. “Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is a testament to why Mortal Kombat has been a top gaming franchise for over 30 years, as the NetherRealm team continues to innovate and bring new gameplay to fans.”
October marks the 30th anniversary of the Mortal Kombat franchise, which Warner Bros. Games says is a testimony to its enduring popularity and critical acclaim.
In MKO, players must build a team of fighters from a vast roster of characters.
Experienced Mortal Kombat players know the franchise has a large selection of characters it can include in the roster.
Players will pit their fighters against foes in real-time group battles to stop a dark and dangerous threat from wreaking havoc across the realms.
“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,” says NetherRealm Studios CCO 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.”
In addition to being Chief Creative Officer, Boon is one of the creative forces behind the original Mortal Kombat game, along with John Tobias.
The creators combined backward spellings of their surnames to create the Noob Saibot character for Mortal Kombat II.
For additional information on MKO, players can sign up for regular updates through the official website.