 NetherRealm Studios' logo, depicting the silhouette ofScorpion from theMortal Kombat series | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Predecessor | WB Games Chicago |
| Founded | April 20, 2010; 15 years ago (2010-04-20) |
| Headquarters | Chicago,Illinois, US |
Key people |
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| Products |
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| Parent | Warner Bros. Games |
| Website | netherrealm.com |
NetherRealm Studios is an Americanvideo game developer based inChicago and owned byWarner Bros. Games. Led byvideo game industry veteran andMortal Kombat co-creatorEd Boon, the studio is in charge of developing theMortal Kombat andInjustice series offighting games.[1]
On February 12, 2009,Midway Games filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States.[2][3]Warner Bros. subsequently acquired "substantially all of the assets", includingMortal Kombat,This Is Vegas and the Midway Games company structure, on July 10, 2009.[4][5] While Warner Bros. went on to close most of Midway Games' Chicago headquarters andSan Diego andNewcastle development studios, they retained the Chicago studio, which became part ofWarner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (now Warner Bros. Games).[6][7] The remaining studio was renamed WB Games Chicago several days later.[8][9] On April 20, 2010, the studio was reincorporated as NetherRealm Studios, replacing WB Games Chicago.[10][11]
NetherRealm Studios' first game, theninth installment in theMortal Kombat series, was released in April 2011. Their first game of original intellectual property,Injustice: Gods Among Us, based on theDC Universe, was released in 2013.[12][13] The success of the two games allowed the development of respective sequels;Mortal Kombat X in 2015 andInjustice 2 in 2017.[14][15] Also, NetherRealm developedAndroid andiOS versions forBatman: Arkham City Lockdown,Batman: Arkham Origins, andWWE Immortals. The company also developedMortal Kombat 11, which was released on April 23, 2019.[16] On October 18, 2022, NetherRealm announced that they were working onMortal Kombat: Onslaught, a cinematic collection role-playing mobile game that was going to be released in 2023.[17][18]
In July 2024, it was reported that the studio's mobile gaming division was shut down and at least 50 employees were laid off.[19][20] The company announced thatMortal Kombat: Onslaught would shut down in October 2024.[21]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Mortal Kombat | Windows,PlayStation 3,PlayStation Vita,Xbox 360 | Microsoft Windows Version developed byHigh Voltage Software |
| Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection | Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | ||
| Batman: Arkham City Lockdown | Android,iOS | ||
| 2013 | Injustice: Gods Among Us | Windows, PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita,Wii U, Xbox 360, Android, iOS | PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows versions developed by High Voltage Software; PlayStation Vita version developed byArmature Studio |
| Batman: Arkham Origins | Android, iOS | ||
| 2015 | Mortal Kombat X[a] | Windows, PlayStation 4,Xbox One | Microsoft Windows version initially ported by High Voltage Software, later replaced by QLOC |
| Mortal Kombat Mobile | Android, iOS | ||
| WWE Immortals | Android, iOS | ||
| 2017 | Injustice 2 | Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS | Microsoft Windows version ported by QLOC |
| 2019 | Mortal Kombat 11 | Windows,Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5, Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S,Stadia | Microsoft Windows version ported by QLOC; Nintendo Switch version ported by Shiver Entertainment |
| 2023 | Mortal Kombat: Onslaught | Android, iOS | |
| Mortal Kombat 1 | Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch | Microsoft Windows version ported by QLOC; Nintendo Switch version ported by Shiver Entertainment andSaber Interactive |
Shortly after the launch ofMortal Kombat 11, several independent declarations from former employees came through about the studio's alleged practices and general working conditions during the development of their last four games, in what they described as atoxic workplace with common instances ofgender discrimination, as well as severecrunch time.[22][23][24] In May 2019, NetherRealm released a statement saying "At NetherRealm Studios, we greatly appreciate and respect all of our employees and prioritize creating a positive work experience. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage diversity and constantly take steps to reduce crunch time for our employees. We are actively looking into all allegations, as we take these matters very seriously and are always working to improve our company environment. There are confidential ways for employees to raise any concerns or issues."[25] Following the statement, NetherRealm gave the studio the weekend off.[26]
That same month, another article byKotaku reported on themental toll the developers were taking on by developing suchexcessively violentvideo games—one developer detailed stories about how the team would view pictures andvideos of murders oranimal slaughter as reference material, which would causenightmares and eventualinsomnia, with a diagnosis ofpost-traumatic stress disorder.[27]
