A mysterious playtest for an unannounced AAA fighting game may have provided another clue that Injustice 3 is in development, adding to speculation surrounding NetherRealm Studios’ next project. The Injustice: Gods Among Us series has been notably dormant since Injustice 2 launched in 2017, leaving players waiting nearly a decade for another DC fighting game.
NetherRealm launched the original Injustice: Gods Among Us in 2013, adapting the studio’s cinematic fighting game formula around characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern in a dark Elseworlds story. Injustice 2 followed four years later with an expanded roster, the Gear System, and another story built around the conflict between Batman and a troubled Superman. NetherRealm subsequently returned to Mortal Kombat, releasing Mortal Kombat 11 in 2019 and Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023, breaking the studio’s previous pattern of alternating between the two franchises. Without a window for a third Injustice officially announced, speculation surrounding another game has persisted for years.
Mysterious Fighting Game Playtest May Be Injustice 3
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Image via NetherReal Studios -
Image via NetherRealm Studios -
Image via NetherRealm Studios
According to EventHubs, Good Gamer Group recently posted a now-deleted listing seeking experienced fighting-game players to test an unreleased AAA 2D fighting game in Culver City, California, which just so happens to be where Warner Bros. Discovery currently maintains offices. The sessions were scheduled for September 14 and 15, with participants offered $250 for a four-hour in-person playtest that would include providing feedback directly to the development team. Applicants were reportedly expected to have reached the top 25% of a major 2D fighting game, with titles like Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy Versus, and The King of Fighters used as examples. The listing never specifically named Injustice 3, NetherRealm Studios, or Warner Bros. Games, but its location, timing, and description in relation to other known upcoming fighting games have led to speculation that the mystery project is NetherRealm’s long-rumored DC fighting game sequel.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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There are several reasons why the theory has gained traction with fans and reporters. First and foremost, describing the project as a “AAA 2D fighter” considerably narrows the field, with games built around 3D movement like the upcoming Virtua Fighter Crossroads or Dead or Alive 7 less likely candidates, while NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat and Injustice games fit the description closely. The Culver City location is another key clue given Warner Bros.’ presence in the area, although NetherRealm itself is headquartered in Chicago. However, none of those clues can fully confirm the game’s identity, and another unannounced fighter could still be responsible for the playtest.
Quite notably, the timing of the new listing also follows several recent reports pointing toward Injustice 3. Earlier this year, an artist working at Warner Bros. Games reportedly listed the sequel among projects on a resume before the information began circulating publicly. Additionally, voice actors previously associated with Injustice have also hinted at a return for a third game, fueling speculation about another entry. Meanwhile, NetherRealm has continued hiring as attention turns to whatever follows its most recent Mortal Kombat project. Any one of those clues could be dismissed on its own, but the emergence of an outside playtest for an unreleased AAA 2D fighting game adds another piece of circumstantial evidence to the ongoing Injustice 3 rumors.
For now, neither NetherRealm Studios nor Warner Bros. Games has officially announced Injustice 3. The playtest listing reportedly didn’t detail a potential roster, story, platforms, release date, or gameplay changes, and it never explicitly identifies the project as part of the Injustice franchise. Moreover, a title being ready for outside testing would at least suggest a playable build exists, but that does not necessarily mean an announcement is imminent. Still, if the mystery game does turn out to be the long-awaited sequel, it would mark the first new entry in Injustice: Gods Among Us since 2017 and finally end one of the longest waits among NetherRealm fans.
- Released
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April 16, 2013
- ESRB
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T for Teen: Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Tobacco, Violence