The fighting genre is quite bountiful, with iconic franchises. There are series that continue to thrive years after they first debuted in the marketplace. One of those franchises that has found a real audience that seeks out each installment release is Mortal Kombat. This game franchise has been around for decades, and it went from being in the arcades to our home video game console systems. Ed Boon is partly to thank for that as this co-creator continues to stick with the franchise and help guide it down a pathway for fans to enjoy. But is it time for Ed Boon to try something different?
That was the question on IGN’s mind as they had a chance to speak with Ed Boon during this past Gamescom event. Ed Boon, who currently sits as the CCO for NetherRealm Studios, is pursuing the next major release for the long-running franchise. However, IGN directly asked Ed, after all these years, if he feels a fighting game burnout or any desire to do something different with the Mortal Kombat franchise. According to Ed, he absolutely has a desire to do something different.
I absolutely have desire to do something different. Surprisingly, I don’t feel burnout just because we’ve been trying new stuff with each game. Sometimes it’s something as minor as like a side game of Puzzle Kombat, Konquest, all these kind of modes and now, Invasions. So those game features and game modes I think for our studio keep things kind of fresh while we still do the core mechanic of a fighting game in online, single player story, all that stuff.
Ed Boon – IGN
Ed Boon went on to say that he surprisingly doesn’t feel any burnout, and it’s likely because the developers are always trying to do something different. Each game has some kind of a unique element to it, or there are side games. You’ve seen titles like Puzzle Kombat released, or different modes to make the games feel a bit fresh. That might help keep Ed passionate about Mortal Kombat and still provide fans who have been with this IP for the past several years something new to enjoy.
Of course, the focus right now with the famed developer is bringing out Mortal Kombat 1. This game is set to launch next month. Specifically, you can get Mortal Kombat 1 on September 19, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms. However, there are also plans for another Injustice game. If you recall, Ed Boon recently revealed that he already had a document on his computer with several ideas for what an Injustice 3 could bring out.
