Justice League 2's Demise Turned Injustice 3 into Mortal Kombat 1

[Shoah Kahn]

Here's the proof:

🔎 Justice League was released in 2017; Injustice 2 was released in 2017 -- it's marketing 101 to dovetail entertainment projects in order for them to piggyback off of one another's hype

🔎 The "Snyder Cut" of Justice League was done to set-up for the sequel that the first film failed to properly delineate (re. Darkseid, the death of Lois, and evil Superman -- Batman's "apocalyptic visions"), in anticipation of a later-than-scheduled JL2 release

🔎 The pattern for NRS releases has been Mortal Kombat 9, Injustice, MKX, Injustice 2, MK11... and investors like predictability, not volatility

🔎 Ed Baboon has stated that Injustice 3 was, indeed, in the works; but, that it would have taken "two more years" to get it to market (scripted excuse: "new game engine") and that that was "too long" -- translation: in light of WB's films flopping (The Flash started filming in c.2014, cost nearly $300M, and has flopped), investors needed to see immediate returns, and MK is the biggest game license they have

🔎 Mr. Baboon also intimated that they had been "working on" MK1 the moment MK11's "Aftermath" expansion was released -- an odd admission, as it puts even more onus on them if the game is half-baked (which it seems to be), and smacks of diversion (from them actually working on Ij3)

🔎 The consensus is that the game is rushed (very few customisation options; no cross-play; kind of ad hoc "Invasions" mode that's just a repurposed Towers laid horizontal; no Krypt; no long yearned-for mini game modes etc.), which comports with WB investor urgency

🔎 The announcement of the game was flubbed, when a WB exec announced MK1 at a shareholder meeting, before Ed Baboon could do it -- again, indicating that things were less than orderly and likely being forced forward by WB

🔎 The short period between announcement and release is very un-MK-like -- they usually have many more months of lead-up; Kombat Kasts; even changing gameplay (see: MK11's "unique amplify inputs" being dropped prior to release) before going gold

🔎 Shao was Steppenwolf, and his axe all but proves it -- it's the only logical reason to change from his iconic hammer to an axe, which was in order to allow for easier asset flipping

🔎 Reiko's throwing stars were Batman's Batarangs -- they even stick into the opponent as Batman's tend to, and the character's close in combat smacks of Batman / Bane amalgam (only slower, less powerful, and more boring)

🔎 Tanya's three-section-staff command grab was a Catwoman whip throw -- nonsensical otherwise, and given they "blackwashed" Tanya, it is likely what they were going to do with the DC character in question (as was done in the most recent Batman movie)

🔎 "Air combos" are kind of nonsensical for most MK characters; whereas, perfectly logical for superheroes -- Ij3 would have needed a new gimmick, and air combos certainly would have fitted that need

🔎 "Kameos", too, are left-of-field for an MK game, as MK's combatants usually fight alone -- the "tournament" was never a tag base set-up; whereas, DC superheroes almost always fight in teams (largely, because some are so much more powerful than others)

🔎 The characters seem to have a dearth of special abilities, when compared to the sum total of MKX's "Variations" or MK11's customisable ability suite -- another indication that they were under the pump to get the game out, as distinct from flesh it out

🔎 The pre-fight forearm joust between characters = Injustice 2's "Clashes", down to the very animations and camera, and big departure from MK11's silhouette fights; the knock-back after the "joust" is also similar to Injustice 2's when neither play wins the "Clash"

🔎 The outros are ripped straight from Injustice 2's, as they were in MK11

🔎 The "anti-hero" superheroes DLC's is nonsensical for a gory MK game, while perfectly reconciles when taken in the context of them being originally meant for Injustice 3; kept in place because the actors had already been approached and/or signed on to a project (i.e., they were going to need to be paid anyway -- might as well use them)

🔎 Announcing the DLC's soon after the game itself is all but unprecedented and made little sense (it overshadowed most of the MK stuff for weeks, even though some characters won't be out until Q4 2024) -- again, unless they had already locked in the licenses and they (WB) were eager to promote the game to a non-MK, superhero fan base

🔎 The "time reset" story is a Marvel and DC trope (both comics having spawned from the same minds), and isn't really what people hoped for for the MK universe, nor what makes much sense, in terms of a direction for the game universe to pursue...

I saw "Injustice 3" written all over this, the moment I saw it. I was sure that Injustice 3 was going to be NRS's next game, and even more so when the Snyder Cut Justice League came out of nowhere. Then, when JL2 was all but cancelled, my mind immediately turned towards Injustice 3 and the doubt as to its forthcoming release. Well, given all the circumstantial evidence we have at even this early stage of proceedings, it's pretty safe to say that Mortal Kombat 1 = Injustice 3 pre-alpha, repurposed to be an MK game.

[karl-emil]

schizo posting

[Nitsa]

bro it aint that deep...

[Shoah Kahn]

Originally posted by karl-emil:

schizo posting

Correct. But, back in early 2021, "myocarditis" was also "schizo"... 🍷😎

Originally posted by Nitsa:

bro it aint that deep...

Nor is MK lore... Yet, they spend tens of million$ elaborating on it for their games and spin-off movies.