NetherRealm Studios

NetherRealm Studios
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorWB Games Chicago
FoundedApril 20, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-04-20)
HeadquartersChicago, US
Key people
Products
ParentWarner Bros. Games
Websitenetherrealm.com

NetherRealm Studios is an American video game developer based in Chicago and owned by Warner Bros. Games. Led by video game industry veteran and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon, the studio is in charge of developing the Mortal Kombat and Injustice series of fighting games.[1]

History

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On February 12, 2009, Midway Games filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States.[2][3] Warner Bros. subsequently acquired "substantially all of the assets", including Mortal 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 and San Diego, California and Newcastle upon Tyne, England, development studios, they retained the Midway Games Chicago development studio, which became part of Warner 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, was the ninth installment in the Mortal Kombat series, the title was released in April 2011. Their first game of original intellectual property, Injustice: Gods Among Us, based on the DC Universe, was released in 2013.[12][13] The success of the two games allowed the development of respective sequels; Mortal Kombat X in 2015 and Injustice 2 in 2017.[14][15] Also, NetherRealm developed Android and iOS versions for Batman: Arkham City Lockdown, Batman: Arkham Origins, and WWE Immortals. The company also developed Mortal Kombat 11, which was released on April 23, 2019.[16] On October 18, 2022, NetherRealm announced that they are working on Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a cinematic collection role-playing mobile game that will 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 that Mortal Kombat: Onslaught will shut down in October 2024.[21]

Games developed

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Year Title Platform(s) Notes
2011 Mortal Kombat Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows Version developed by High 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 by Armature 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 and Saber Interactive

Controversies

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Shortly after the launch of Mortal 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 a toxic workplace with common instances of gender discrimination, as well as severe crunch 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 by Kotaku reported on the mental toll the developers were taking on by developing such excessively violent video games—one developer detailed stories about how the team would view pictures and videos of murders or animal slaughter as reference material, which would cause nightmares and eventual insomnia, with a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.[27]

Notes

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  1. ^ Later released as Mortal Kombat XL.

References

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  1. ^ McWhertor, Michael (August 24, 2010). "What's Next For Mortal Kombat, NetherRealm Studios". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 27, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  2. ^ Lee, James (February 12, 2009). "Midway US files for reorganisation in Bankruptcy Court". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Crecente, Brian (February 12, 2009). "Midway Files for Bankruptcy". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  4. ^ McWhertor, Michael (July 10, 2009). "Warner Bros. Now Owns Midway, Mortal Kombat". Kotaku. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  5. ^ Thorsen, Tor (July 14, 2009). "Midway Newcastle shuttered, Chicago layoffs 'imminent'". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  6. ^ Thorsen, Tor (July 16, 2009). "Midway's Chicago HQ closing, final buyout price $49 million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  7. ^ Gilbert, Ben (July 17, 2009). "Midway execs get the boot, entire Chicago dev team acquired by WB". Engadget. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  8. ^ Gilbert, Ben (July 27, 2009). "Mortal Kombat team sheds Midway skin for 'WB Games Chicago'". Engadget. Archived from the original on January 12, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  9. ^ Martin, Matt (July 28, 2009). "Mortal Kombat studio becomes WB Games Chicago". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  10. ^ Nunneley, Stephany (April 9, 2010). "Warner trademarks Netherrealm Studios". VG247. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  11. ^ O'Connor, Alice (June 10, 2010). "Mortal Kombat Returning to '2D' Roots". Shacknews. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  12. ^ Kubba, Sinan (January 15, 2013). "Injustice: Gods Among Us hits April 16, Battle Edition revealed". Engadget. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  13. ^ Purchese, Robert (January 15, 2013). "Injustice: Gods Among Us release date 19th April". eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Plagge, Kallie (January 9, 2017). "Injustice 2 Release Date Revealed [UPDATE]". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 10, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  15. ^ Fahey, Mike (February 14, 2017). "Injustice 2 Doubles Up On Cats". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  16. ^ Fahey, Mike (December 6, 2018). "Mortal Kombat 11 Announced, Launching Globally April 23". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  17. ^ "Mortal Kombat: Onslaught is a new mobile game coming in 2023". October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  18. ^ "Collection RPG Mortal Kombat: Onslaught announced for iOS, Android". October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  19. ^ Straw, Mike (July 18, 2024). "Mortal Kombat Developer NetherRealm Studios Hit With Mass Layoffs". Insider Gaming. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Allen, Joseph (July 18, 2024). "NetherRealm's Mobile Games In Danger as Layoffs Strike". TechRaptor. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (July 19, 2024). "Mortal Kombat Mobile Game to Shut Down a Year After Launch as Developer NetherRealm Suffers Layoffs". IGN. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  22. ^ "NetherRealm's self-sustaining culture of crunch". GamesIndustry.biz. May 3, 2019. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  23. ^ Chalk, y.; Fenlon, Wes (April 26, 2019). "Former devs speak out about 'severe crunch' at Mortal Kombat studio". PC Gamer. PCGamer. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  24. ^ Kim, Matt (May 2, 2019). ""This Is How They Get Away With It:" Former NetherRealm Studios Contract Devs Reveal a Troubling Studio Culture". Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  25. ^ Lanier, Liz (May 4, 2019). "'Mortal Kombat 11' Game Devs Allege Toxic Work Conditions at Warner Bros. Interactive's NetherRealm". Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  26. ^ Lanier, Liz (May 9, 2019). "NetherRealm Investigating Worker Concerns After Studio-Wide Meeting". Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  27. ^ "'I'd Have These Extremely Graphic Dreams': What It's Like To Work On Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat 11". Kotaku. May 8, 2019. Archived from the original on November 24, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
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