Long standing NetherRealm Studios Executive, Shaun Himmerick, has been promoted to the role of Senior Vice President overseeing Mortal Kombat and DC games as part of a Warner Bros Games corporate restructuring that formally prioritizes its major franchises. He is one of three studio heads given new senior roles as the company focuses on four tent pole brands. Read on for details:

Variety reports that Himmerick will serve his role under Warner Bros Discovery CEO of Global Streaming and Games, JB Perrette, along with promoted Senior Vice Presidents from WB Games Montreal and WB Games New York, Yves Lachance and Steven Flenory, who will oversee development, production, and tech operations for Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and other gaming & publishing concerns.

It is unclear if Perrette will fulfill the role of former Warner Bros Games President David Haddad, who exited the position in January, or if Himmerick and Lachance assume these responsibilities through their respective fiefdoms.

The restructure addresses the June announcement that Warner Bros Discovery would separate into two companies, with WBD Streaming & Studios retaining WB Games, led by CEO David Zaslav. The restructure did not incur the layoff of staff or any other executives, per Variety's reporting.

Perrette issued a statement via press release: "Our company is home to some of the biggest franchises in the world, and we are optimizing our team structure to develop long-term franchise roadmaps to delight players and fans of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mortal Kombat and DC games. [...] We are very fortunate to have a strong stable of development and technology talent, and Yves, Shaun and Steven are respected leaders with excellent track records in their areas of expertise. I’m looking forward to working closely with them and the team as we work to make the best games possible for our key franchises."

Exactly what this standard corporate rhetoric means for the Mortal Kombat and DC Universe gaming branches remains to be seen. NetherRealm Studios has already moved on to its next project, formally ending Mortal Kombat 1 ahead of expected schedule with the digital release of Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition. The developer continues to support Mortal Kombat Mobile and a mobile version of Injustice 2.

A third-party restoration of klassic Mortal Kombat titles is coming later this year in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, while it is widely speculated the developer may be returning to the DC Universe of characters, which were noted as still under the purview of Himmerick.

It was widely speculated that a third installment in the burgeoning Injustice franchise was in development prior to the announcement of Mortal Kombat 1 after a production manager shared a photo of DC and MK production materials, and a data breach revealed a possible title. It's interesting to note that Injustice is not cited specifically in the restructuring report, possibly reflecting a larger scope for the umbrella.

Injustice has remained relatively quiet in that time. The second game, and a related tie-in comic series, ended in 2018, spawning a single animated feature in 2021 based on the original game. The Injustice universe made a brief return under writer Tom Taylor in 2023 as part of a universe-hopping story in the Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent series.

After his appointment as CEO and Co-Chairman of DC Studios in 2022; filmmaker James Gunn revealed in vague terms that there were plans to connect games to the larger framework for his new unified multimedia DC Universe in film, television, and animation. Although this has included casting actors in live-action and animated roles, the new DC Studios has also accommodated unrelated projects, such as The Penguin series spun out of 2022's The Batman feature film. A sequel to the Matt Reeves directed movie is still planned and in development.

[Related Article: EW Previews Mortal Kombat II With Johnny Cage, Kitana & Shao Kahn Images]

What do you hope the next step for NetherRealm Studios will be? Do you want to see another Injustice or a fresh take on the DC Comics characters? Share your thoughts in the comments below and look to the future in the Future MK Games & DC Universe categories.