Mystery Playtest Hints at Injustice 3 with Announcement of Unreleased AAA 2D Fighting Game

A recent post surfaced about a mystery playtest for an “unreleased AAA 2D fighting game,” and while the details are intentionally vague, all signs point to this being NetherRealm Studios’ unannounced Injustice 3.

This was first highlighted by an outlet that makes a strong case for the game being Injustice 3. They note that we can rule out several upcoming fighting games, like Virtua Fighter Crossroads and Dead or Alive 7, since those are 3D titles.

Additionally, the playtest page specifically labels the unreleased game as a “AAA” fighting game, which likely disqualifies titles like Melty Blood: Twi-Lumine from consideration.

So, what are we left with? Not much. Currently, no developers have announced any upcoming AAA 2D fighting games. Given that this is likely an unannounced title, what evidence suggests it’s Injustice 3 and not something like Street Fighter 7?

The location of the playtests is a key piece of evidence: Culver City, California. While NetherRealm Studios is based in Chicago, their parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, has offices in both New York and Culver City.

Most importantly, NetherRealm has been quietly working on a new game for a while now. Their last release was Mortal Kombat 1 in 2023, and they’ve been actively hiring for various new positions in recent months. Additionally, there were reports last year that voice actors Phil LaMarr and George Newbern, who voiced Aquaman and Superman in the first two Injustice games, may have inadvertently hinted at reprising their roles for the unannounced Injustice 3 before backtracking on those comments shortly after.

There’s a slim chance this could be that DC mobile game announced by Warner Bros. in July, but no offense to mobile game fans, that doesn’t seem to fit the “AAA” label.