After a short break, Mortal Kombat returned in 2022 with its ninth mainline installment which was simply titled Mortal Kombat. As a reboot of the series, Mortal Kombat took the series back to its original origins and streamlined the game's EAFC 24 Coins and mechanics, while making sure it was complicated enough for a contemporary fighting game. Through allowing the franchise to breathe NetherRealm was able play around with the game and develop an experience that was appreciated with both long-time and newcomer players.

The two previous Mortal Kombat games have both been released four years following their predecessors and with Mortal Kombat X coming out in 2022. and Mortal Kombat 11 releasing in 2022. With four years between the two entries the series has managed to stay popular with the public however it hasn't dominated the market, ensuring that fans can be kept enthused to see the next installment. Breaks from the franchise gives the creator the opportunity to develop new IPs which could become hugely successful on their own like NetherRealm's Injustice series.

Sports games should learn this advice of Mortal Kombat. The sports games of today are exactly the same as they were when the MK series was during the early 2000s, with each year's releases becoming blurred and making fans believe that the next game isn't worth their time. When FIFA, Madden, NBA and the rest of the annual sports titles put a year or two off, the designers will finally be able to reflect on the direction of this franchise and how the formula might be improved.

One of the main critiques of the modern-day annual sports games is the fact that each entry is just another re-skinned version of the game that was previously played and has no visible or performance advancements over its predecessor. Although the game's developers might add an additional career mode or incorporate some fan-favorite elements from an earlier version that is incorporated into the new game, it's not usually enough to merit the price, particularly when the game from last year holds well.

In order to propel these franchises forward in a significant way the developers of sports games are going have to ensure that each and every game comes with an array of options or features that are totally new distinctive, original, and ingenuous. Also this is where it is the Mortal Kombat series is the ideal model to help with this. The past year of Mortal Kombat has seen three mainline games released, each of which boasted its unique games modes and features and each one has offered more than the previous. In contrast to sports games, the recent Mortal Kombat titles have barely eliminated popular features. Instead, they've just improved the gameplay.

The 2022 edition of Mortal Kombat acted as the perfect starting point for the franchise, providing the right amount of gameplay complexity to be engaging and contemporary and yet ensuring the games were completely accessible to novice players of FIFA 24 Coins. Mortal Kombat X took this foundation and developed it, adding more challenges towers and Krypt-related content and the introduction of a faction system that encouraged online play and made the story the focus of. Mortal Kombat 11 continued to improve upon the three modes, and adding a complex gear system that is also. Each every Mortal Kombat adds features that keep long-time fans coming back for more which is exactly what annual sports teams must do now.