Is Mortal Kombat 12 coming out on PS4? No, only modern platforms
As a passionate Mortal Kombat expert and industry analyst, I‘ve extensively researched this question from technical and business standpoints. Based on announcements, developer statements, and assessments of market conditions, Mortal Kombat 12 will not release on PlayStation 4 – only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
Technical Feasibility
First examining raw hardware capabilities, the PS4‘s aged Jaguar CPU and modest GPU are no match for cutting-edge components in the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. MK11 already pushed PS4 to its limits managing 30-60 FPS at 1080p resolution. Building a new competitive fighter with more advanced graphics and physics would require compromising too much on last-gen consoles.
Table: Hardware Comparison
| Spec | PS4 | PS5 | X Series X |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 8 low-power Jaguar cores @ 1.6GHz | 8 high-performance Zen 2 cores @ 3.5GHz | 8 high-performance Zen 2 cores @ 3.8GHz |
| GPU | 1.84 TFLOPS AMD GCN | 10.3 TFLOPs AMD RDNA 2 | 12 TFLOPS AMD RDNA 2 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR5 @ 176GB/s | 16GB GDDR6 @ 448GB/s | 16GB GDDR6 w/320b bus |
With 6-12x faster processing and bandwidth, PS5 and Series X wield the brute force for cutting-edge gameplay experiences simply impossible on dated PS4 silicon.
Business Incentives
Financially, cutting PS4 support also aligns with market momentum towards current-gen adoption. Per Ampere Analysis, PS5 and Series X/S install bases will approach or exceed PS4 (116 million) by end of 2023. After three holiday seasons, their combined 150+ million installed units provide the mainstream market needed for major releases.
Table: Console Install Base Projections
| Platform | Units Sold by End of 2023 |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 67 million |
| Xbox Series X/S | 83 million |
| Total | 150 million next-gen consoles |
With cross-gen support now unnecessary this late in the cycle, focusing exclusively on modern hardware allows better optimization, flexibility in project scope, and reduced testing overhead. From this perspective, the PS4 port doesn‘t make sense regardless of technical hurdles.
Mortal Kombat Generational History
Looking back through 30 years of Mortal Kombat history also fails to provide precedent of late-cycle ports bridging console generations. Mortal Kombat 9 never released on PS2. And no PS3 version of Mortal Kombat X existed as PS4/Xbox One had sufficiently saturated the console market in 2015.
Each major Mortal Kombat entry has closely tracked dominant platforms of the era:
- Mortal Kombat (1992) – Game consoles & arcades
- Mortal Kombat II (1993) – Game consoles & arcades
- Mortal Kombat 3 (1995) – PlayStation/Saturn/Arcades
- Mortal Kombat 4 (1997) – PlayStation/Nintendo 64
- Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (2002) – PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube
- MK9 (2011) – PS3/Xbox 360
- MKX (2015) – PS4/Xbox One
- MK11 (2019) – PS4/Xbox One/Switch; next-gen upgrade
This trend of aligning with prime hardware continues into 2023 and beyond with Mortal Kombat 12 explicitly targeting PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch – no last-gen anchor.
The Future Awaits
While PS4 support would‘ve extended to a wider audience, realities of aging hardware and shifting market winds leave no place for MK12 on outdated platforms. Modern console capabilities enable unmatched gameplay innovation that old Jaguar CPUs simply can‘t handle.
Rest assured PS4 owners can continue enjoying content-rich Mortal Kombat 11 for years while awaiting to upgrade. But the future of the series leaves last-gen behind. Mortal Kombat enters a new generation pushing gameplay, graphics and technology forward beyond what PS4 can deliver.
