Most people expected Netherrealm Studios' next title to be Injustice 3, as they have alternated Mortal Kombat and Injustice since they were founded in 2010. This obviously didn't happen though, and as you might expect, there is an explanation as to why.
The founder of both the Mortal Kombat franchise (together with John Tobias) and the studio, Ed Boon, was interview by IGN and this topic came up. Boon explained that the decision to make another Mortal Kombat boils down to the pandemic as the studio employees had to work from home, and needed to change game engine. This ultimately led to them making something they felt more confident with:
"But we did go to a new graphics engine, Unreal. We really wanted to be careful with COVID and all that stuff and everybody staying safe. So there were a bunch of variables involved that eventually we realized, 'Okay, let's do another Mortal Kombat game and hopefully we'll get back to the Injustice games.'"
Fortunately, this does not mean it's the end for the Injustice series, as Boon says "Not at all", when asked if the door is closed for future DC fighting games.
Are you happy Netherrealm Studios went with Mortal Kombat 1, or would you rather have a new Injustice?