Future Mortal Kombat titles may be modeled after TLoU’s naming convention

According to series co-creator Ed Boon, future Mortal Kombat titles may take inspiration from The Last of Us’ naming convention.

For months, MK fans were convinced the next title would bear the name Mortal Kombat 12. The game’s announcement, however, confirmed the crew at NetherRealm Studios had opted to reset the clock and start over at Mortal Kombat 1.

Naturally, it’s led to questions about the title of the almost inevitable 13th mainline entry. Will the studio follow in Modern Warfare’s footsteps and just tape over the existing Mortal Kombat 2 name or try something different?

A recent comment from Ed Boon suggests he and the crew already have an interesting idea in mind for how best to proceed.

Future Mortal Kombat titles may follow the TLoU model

In a recent interview with GamesRadar, Ed Boon addressed the numbered title problem the MK series may eventually face. Apparently, a Mortal Kombat 13 is off the table, but Boon seems partial to Mortal Kombat 2.

The Last of Us’ Part 2 and retroactive Part 1 naming convention could serve as a source of inspiration for future MK entries, however. Boon told the publication,

“If we did another game in this lineage of Mortal Kombat games, I think I’d want to call it Mortal Kombat 2. We could do Part 1, or Part 2 like The Last of Us does. We certainly won’t call it Mortal Kombat 13.”

There are likely several years between now and when fans should start worrying about possible titles for the next Mortal Kombat installment.

For now, all eyes are on MK1, which isn’t necessarily a continuation of MK11 but does see Liu Kang assume the role of Fire God. NetherRealm showed off the new reality recently in a gameplay trailer for Summer Game Fest.

Mortal Kombat 1 launches on September 19 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.