With the 2016 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) right around the corner, speculation is mounting that NetherRealm Studios will announce their next game project very soon.

All expectations are Injustice: Gods Among Us will return for the first sequel to the DC Comics superhero fighting game. French site GameBlog.fr cites unnamed sources close to the imminent announcement, projecting an unverified 2017 release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The first Injustice: Gods Among Us was released this time, 2012, preceding its debut at the E3 of the same year [original story]. Emerging speculation places an announcement at the ESL Mortal Kombat X Season 3 finals, June 11th.

In their many incarnations, NetherRealm Studios has produced regular fighting game releases every two years. Since being purchased by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, we've seen Mortal Kombat (2011), Injustice: Gods Among Us (2013) and Mortal Kombat X (2015) released in April. A Gods Among Us sequel follows the increasing familiar pattern, even as Creative Director Ed Boon polls interest in more Mortal Kombat projects [full story].

In January, Mortal Kombat Online reported on NetherRealm Studios hiring for several key positions, speculating toward the Injustice sequel [full story]. This was quickly followed by an abrupt announcement for Mortal Kombat XL: the 2016 complete edition that incorporates NetherRealm's longest downloadable content cycle, including Kombat Pack 2. MKXL was released in March.

Further supporting expectations of an Injustice sequel is Warner Brothers' ambitious 2017 film slate, which sees the release of major movies based on Wonder Woman and the assembled Justice League. It's part of a cinematic universe plan initiated this year in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Some fans have noted an Injustice-like quality to the "Knightmare" sequence in the film, which includes allusions to Superman as a totalitarian aggressor. Reporting the success of Mortal Kombat X and Batman: Arkham Knight; The Wall Street Journal mapped the emerging importance video game properties have as a compliment to Warners' traditional film business.

VG 24/7 notes the Gods Among Us sequel will likely be built using the Mortal Kombat X engine, which Injustice laid the groundwork for by introducing new concepts, such as stage interactions.

[Related Article: Editorial: The MKvsDC Crossover Nobody Sees Coming]

Looking forward to more DC superhero fighting? What do you hope to see in an Injustice sequel? Register to share all your thoughts and feedback on the DC Universe Injustice forum! Don't forget to join the feedback fun in the 2016 Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion, as well! Special thanks to Kommunity Users cek12345 & subzert for sharing the news.