作者：Online Games VIP Editorial
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Ed Boon has asked fans to choose a possible name for the next Mortal Kombat game, but the poll does not confirm its title, release, or status.
IGN reports that Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon has asked fans what they want the next game in the series to be called. A poll published on X/Twitter on November 6, 2026, offered three possibilities: Mortal Kombat 13, Mortal Kombat 12, and Mortal Kombat 2.
The poll is a new public signal from Boon, but it is not an announcement of the game's final name or release plans. IGN says the vote had Mortal Kombat 2 in front at 43 percent when it reported the results, followed by Mortal Kombat 13 at 33 percent and Mortal Kombat 12 at 23 percent. The figures represent the poll's position at that point, rather than a confirmed decision from Boon or NetherRealm Studios.
That distinction matters because the series has been unusually quiet since the latest game stopped receiving new content updates. For now, the poll gives players something to discuss, while the central questions about the next Mortal Kombat project remain unanswered.
According to IGN, Boon's first poll asked the audience to choose a name for the next Mortal Kombat installment. The options were numbered in ways that invite different interpretations: a direct continuation with Mortal Kombat 13, a return to Mortal Kombat 12, or a second game using the Mortal Kombat 2 name.
The poll confirms that Boon is actively engaging with fan expectations around the series' next title. It does not confirm that any of the three names is under formal consideration, and it does not establish whether the vote is an internal survey, a joke, or a way to gauge the community's reaction. IGN's report provides no indication that NetherRealm has selected a title based on the results.
IGN also reports that Boon published a second poll about two Marvel fighting games: Marvel Tokon from Arc System Works and a potential Marvel vs. Capcom 4. The second question is separate from the Mortal Kombat naming vote. Its inclusion is notable because Boon is associated with NetherRealm's fighting-game work, including the Injustice series, but it does not provide evidence that NetherRealm is making either Marvel project.
The source reports that the audience strongly favored Marvel vs. Capcom 4 in that second poll. However, the poll should be treated as a question about fan preference, not as confirmation that such a game is in development or scheduled to launch.
IGN places the poll against a period of uncertainty for the franchise. Mortal Kombat 1 officially stopped receiving new content updates in May 2025, according to the publication. That left players waiting for a clearer indication of what NetherRealm would do next.
IGN also describes Mortal Kombat 1's presence at competitive tournaments as lackluster. The source does not provide tournament figures or a specific competitive ranking, so the broader point is best understood as context for the community's current mood rather than a measured performance result.
In May 2026, Boon confirmed that a new game in the franchise was officially in development, IGN reports. Since then, the publisher says, public information has been limited. The new poll therefore arrives at a moment when fans already know that work on a project exists, but have not received the details normally needed to identify it as a finished product in the market.
For players, that gap has practical consequences. A title can be in development for a long time without having a locked name, announced platforms, release window, roster, gameplay system, or public testing plan. None of those details is supplied by the poll. The safest reading is that Boon is keeping conversation around Mortal Kombat active while the studio's plans remain private.
The three choices are interesting because they do not point to one obvious naming strategy. Mortal Kombat 13 would present the next release as a conventional numerical follow-up. Mortal Kombat 12 would revive a number that fans may associate with a previous stage of development or with expectations about how the series should count its main entries. Mortal Kombat 2 would suggest a different approach, using a familiar title rather than advancing the number.
That is analysis, not confirmed information about NetherRealm's plans. The poll alone cannot tell us whether the studio is considering a sequel, a reset, a remake, or simply testing how fans react to recognizable labels. It also cannot establish how the numbering would relate to Mortal Kombat 1's story or its broader continuity.
The Mortal Kombat 2 option may be especially easy for fans to understand because it echoes the title of an earlier series entry. At the same time, using that name for a modern release could create confusion between the original game and a new product. Whether that would be a problem depends on the project's design, marketing, and platform plans, none of which has been disclosed in the supplied reporting.
From a player-focused perspective, the most useful part of the poll is not the leading percentage. It is the fact that the community is being asked to think about what identity the next game should have. Fans may be weighing continuity, nostalgia, and the desire for a fresh start, but the poll does not ask them to choose features such as rollback support, training tools, matchmaking improvements, or tournament-focused systems.
Those issues will matter more once NetherRealm begins sharing concrete information. A title can shape expectations, but it will not tell players how the game will handle online play, balance updates, downloadable content, competitive support, or accessibility. Until those subjects are addressed, the naming discussion remains an early conversation around an unannounced product.
IGN says the poll followed extensive rumors about the next Injustice game, which the publication describes as having been almost openly confirmed by Boon. The report also references resumes from stunt performers that list Injustice 3 and earlier claims that playtests had taken place.
Those details are part of the surrounding rumor picture, not confirmation that Injustice 3 is the project represented by Boon's Mortal Kombat poll. The source does not establish that Mortal Kombat and Injustice are being tested at the same time, nor does it confirm which title NetherRealm is prioritizing.
IGN further reports that Boon responded in September to a post claiming NetherRealm was testing Injustice 3, Mortal Kombat 13, and/or Mortal Kombat 9. According to the report, Boon rejected the claim while also explaining that the absence of external testing does not necessarily mean a game is not in development. That distinction is important: a denial of external testing is not a denial that a project exists, but it is also not evidence of a public test, a launch schedule, or a completed build.
Players should therefore separate three levels of information. First, Boon has publicly polled fans about a possible name for the next Mortal Kombat game. Second, IGN reports that he confirmed a new game in the franchise was in development in May 2026. Third, details such as the final title, playable characters, platforms, release date, and test plans remain unconfirmed in the supplied source.
While the next game remains undefined, the supplied catalog includes older Mortal Kombat releases for players who want to revisit the series' history. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 represents the arcade-era foundation that helped establish the franchise's competitive identity. Mortal Kombat II offers another direct way to return to the early series, while Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance covers a later period in the franchise's evolution.
These catalog entries do not provide information about the upcoming project, and playing them cannot answer the questions raised by Boon's poll. They can, however, give players a point of comparison when considering how much the series' naming, structure, and fighting systems have changed across different eras.
The next meaningful update would need to come from NetherRealm or Boon in a form more specific than a social-media poll. A formal title reveal would clarify whether the project is being presented as Mortal Kombat 13, Mortal Kombat 12, Mortal Kombat 2, or something else entirely. A platform announcement, release window, trailer, or gameplay presentation would then establish how far the game has progressed publicly.
Players should also watch for information about the project's relationship to Mortal Kombat 1. The supplied source does not say whether the next title continues that game's story, changes its continuity, or takes another direction. It also does not confirm whether the next release will receive the same kind of post-launch support, or how it will be positioned for competitive play.
Until those details appear, the poll is best treated as a conversation starter. It shows that Boon is willing to ask the community about the franchise's future, but it does not turn a fan vote into a production update. The name, launch timing, platforms, and gameplay plans for the next Mortal Kombat game remain open questions.