Alan Wake 2, Bioshock 4, and Mortal Kombat 1: Weekly Roundup

There’s big news in the gaming world this week, as three major franchises have their next big game lined up – to wildly varying levels, of course.

First, the game that’s fully slated to release: Netherrealm’s reboot of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat 1. Ed Boon and the gang over at Netherrealm have previously teased a new entry in the franchise, and with eleven games under their belt, a return to the original game makes sense. It’s being branded as a full rehaul of the very first Mortal Kombat, with a new fighting system, roster, and story mode. It’ll be dropping September 18th of this year, offering a strong close to the already impressive summer lineup. The downside to all of this is that a new Mortal Kombat means one more step away from the long-anticipated Injustice 3, a game that’s been whispered about for years now. It’s now looking to be almost 8 years since 2016’s Injustice 2, with no more than a scant few rumors and leaks to show for the next game. However, a fresh start to such a storied fighting game franchise as Mortal Kombat is a welcome replacement, especially off the heels of Street Fighter VI.

Next, something a bit less concrete. Alan Wake 2, first announced at the 2021 Game Awards, has been rumored to come out this October. In an interview with Alan Wake’s voice actor Matthew Porretta, Porretta broke the news that the cult classic’s sequel was looking at an early fall release, specifically in October. This is not a surprising window for an Alan Wake game, as the original stands squarely in the horror genre and landing around Halloween just makes sense. But without any official news on that front since December of 2021, and the rumor coming from a podcast interview, it’s a shock that such big news about the next game from Remedy Entertainment would drop so nonchalantly. In any case, if the rumor holds water, the fall is shaping up to continue Summer 2023’s strong momentum, with Starfield, Mortal Kombat 1, and a possible window for Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2.

Lastly, the bad news: Bioshock 4, the follow-up to 2013’s Bioshock Infinite, is rumored to be in development hell based on a Twitter thread from a few prominent leakers. Big games like this one often take time in the oven, and Ken Levine (Bioshock’s Big Daddy) isn’t working on this entry in the critically acclaimed series, so this isn’t groundbreaking news — just unwelcome. Furthermore, Irrational Games, the developers behind Bioshock, shuttered its doors some time ago, leaving publisher 2K to pick up the slack. Ken Levine and his studio Ghost Story Game’s debut title Judas was announced with a trailer at last year’s Game Awards, so hopefully that will fill the Rapture-sized hole in our hearts.