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NetherRealm Studios

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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 Studiosis an Americanvideo game developerbased inChicagoand owned byWarner Bros. Games.Led byvideo game industryveteran andMortal Kombatco-creatorEd Boon,the studio is in charge of developing theMortal KombatandInjusticeseries offighting games.[1]

History

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On February 12, 2009,Midway Gamesfiled forChapter 11 bankruptcyin the United States.[2][3]Warner Bros.subsequently acquired "substantially all of the assets", includingMortal Kombat,This Is Vegasand 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, CaliforniaandNewcastle 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 theninth installmentin theMortal Kombatseries, the title 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 Xin 2015 andInjustice 2in 2017.[14][15]Also, NetherRealm developedAndroidandiOSversions 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 are working onMortal 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 thatMortal Kombat: Onslaughtwill 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 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

Controversies

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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 workplacewith 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]

The same month, another article byKotakureported on themental tollthe developers were taking on by developing suchexcessively violentvideo games—one developer detailed stories about how the team would view pictures andvideos of murdersoranimal slaughteras reference material, which would causenightmaresand eventualinsomnia,with a diagnosis ofpost-traumatic stress disorder.[27]

Notes

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  1. ^Later released asMortal Kombat XL.

References

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