Mortal Kombat developer NetherRealm has suffered a significant round of layoffs and has signaled the closure of one of its high-profile mobile games.
As spotted by users on ResetEra, NetherRealm developers took to LinkedIn to announce they had been laid off as part of what looks like the gutting of the company’s mobile team.
One affected member of staff said NetherRealm’s entire mobile team was shut down. This team operated live services on multiple titles, including Mortal Kombat Mobile, Injustice 2, and Mortal Kombat Onslaught.
The X/Twitter page for Mortal Kombat: Onslaught announced plans to shut the game down in October 2024, just a year after launch. “It has been an honor creating this game for our Kommunity, and we appreciate the enthusiasm from our fans,” the statement read. “In the coming weeks we will share specific timing of the close of the game.”
We are sorry to inform you that Mortal Kombat: Onslaught will close its operations in October. It has been an honor creating this game for our Kommunity, and we appreciate the enthusiasm from our fans. In the coming weeks we will share specific timing of the close of the game.
— Mortal Kombat: Onslaught (@mkonslaught) July 18, 2024
At the time of this article’s publication, there is no shutdown announcement on either the Mortal Kombat Mobile or Injustice 2 Mobile X/Twitter pages. Both games received updates in recent days; indeed these layoffs occured just a day after Mortal Kombat Mobile received a significant update that added guest character Spawn to the game. Spawn is meant to be the first of three new characters coming to Mortal Kombat Mobile as part of its summer update, with Onslaught Jax and MK1 Kenshi next.
Spawn marks his entry in #mkmobile! The first in line of our three new kombatants coming in the Summer Update! ? Keep your eyes peeled - Onslaught Jax and MK1 Kenshi are next. Jump in and explore the new Tower, Equipment, and more!
— Mortal Kombat Mobile (@MKMobileGame) July 17, 2024
Official Patch Notes: https://t.co/4zuni915En pic.twitter.com/3jcpVLAmjR
NetherRealm and Mortal Kombat franchise owner Warner Bros. Games billed Mortal Kombat: Onslaught as a mobile-exclusive collection role-playing game set in the Mortal Kombat universe. The free-to-download app features party-based combat that plays out automatically, with the player tapping to trigger special abilities and combos. There’s a fleshed out Story Mode that revolves around Shinnok’s bid for destruction. Mortal Kombat veterans Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and Sub-Zero go up against familiar villains such as Shang Tsung, Kano, and Shao Kahn in their Mortal Kombat 11 visual style.
The layoffs hit NetherRealm as it prepares to reveal plans for Mortal Kombat 1’s second year of updates and DLC characters during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. NetherRealm development chief Ed Boon is yet to tweet about the layoffs or the game closure.
The cuts to NetherRealm come amid one of the toughest periods for the video game industry in recent memory. Thousands have lost their jobs over the last two years as publishers and developers struggle in an increasingly difficult market. Microsoft announced 1,900 jobs would be lost from its gaming business this year, Sony has announced 900 layoffs, and many other AAA publishers have suffered cuts of their own.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
