Mortal Kombat X is still awaiting the imminent release of 2016 Kombat Pack 2 DLC, but it seems NetherRealm Studios may already be making preparations for their next big project!
Job listings for Senior Producer, Associate Designer, Sound Designer and Senior Artist have NetherRealm restocking the team for AAA and mobile development.
The former three openings were posted earlier this month (January 6th), and are all significant roles in the development process. This seems to suggest something major in the pipeline from the Warner Brothers owned studio. This may fuel fans already clamouring for more Mortal Kombat -- especially in the realm of genre spin-offs like Shaolin Monks -- but the signs seem to be pointing in another familiar direction.
What's Next? Are NetherRealm Studios Job Listings a Forecast for Injustice?
NetherRealm's careers page uses black and white screenshots from Batman: Arkham City as backgrounds for each job listing. Completion for consoles was partially farmed out to the studio, while mobile development at NRS was established with Arkham City Lockdown. More prominently: NetherRealm branched out into their own DC Comics franchise with 2013 fighting game - Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Injustice featured various heroes and villains from the DC Universe, led in two opposing factions by Batman and Superman. This March, Warner Brothers brings the two characters back to the big screen in their first cinematic showdown - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film is set to launch the Justice League into opposition with Marvel's successful Avengers franchise.
The entire NetherRealm website makes use of images from Mortal Kombat and Injustice, but these aren't the only circumstances that seem to lend themselves toward a much speculated Injustice sequel.
Kombat Pack 2 subverted expectations by offering reissued 2015 downloadable content as part of its purchase with four new playable characters [full story]. The pack extended new content support further than any NetherRealm game to date -- eight additional characters in total -- but may be a signal for the end for the Mortal Kombat X cycle.
Since being purchased by Warner Brothers, NetherRealm Studios have released a fighting game in April every two years: Mortal Kombat (2011), Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013), Mortal Kombat X (2015). Regularly selling copies in the multi-millions has ensured Warner's 2010 investment has both paid for itself, and become an alternate profit source amidst misfires at the box office.
[Related Article: WSJ Reports Mortal Kombat X Sales Exceed Five Million]
With the rate of success at the studio, it's unsurprising the Senior Producer job includes a raft of demanding responsibilities surrounding: management, development, motivational and communication skills. The position summary offers a basic insight into the trials of a producer's role:
NetherRealm Studios, a division of WB Games Inc, and developers of Mortal Kombat and Injustice, seeks a Senior Producer to be responsible for overseeing the development team on one or more AAA projects. This position supports the leads, producers and assists the team by managing and executing a variety of tasks to support the teams in developing AAA video games. This position should be the pivotal person for information on the projects, and when something needs to get done they should know how to navigate the waters to achieve results.
The ideal candidate has previously led an internal, games development team, has shipped successful games on Console, and has also worked in the Mobile space.
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