Interview with Senior Producer from NetherRealm, Adam Urbano brings us Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Q:  How comfortable are Mortal Kombat fans going to be with the mechanics of Injustice: Gods Among Us?
A:  “It’s different, we have changed just about everything back to block. Combos will be similar. That said we have done a lot to make sure that people who don’t know fighting games can get up to speed and know how to play this game.”

Q:  How many characters are in the game?
A:  “I might be able to tell you but, to be safe I can say more then 20.”

Q:  Is there a possibility of future DLC?
A:  “There are so many characters that we wanted to add but couldn’t, so there is a good chance we will have DLC.”

Q:   Is it mostly story based or can you just jump in and play?
A:  “There are about a dozen different modes. We want everyone to have a good time whether they are expert at fighting games or totally new. Most will start with the single player story mode to get into the game and learn different characters. You can dive into online or the couch or star lab missions.”

Q:  Are their plans to bring Injustice to the next Gen consoles like the PS4 and the next Xbox?
A:   “Nothing that we know of yet.”

Q:  Any plans to bring Injustice to the vita?
A:  “It’s a possibility. We did Mortal Kombat for the Vita so I’m sure we will look at it.”

Q:  What online features can we expect to see with Injustice?
A:  “There will be the standard friends fighting mode. There will be king of the hill that we have expanded with many options like betting on the matches as to who is going to win. And hundreds of different things to bet, on like this guy is going to win perfectly or this guy isn’t.  The bets fill a pot and the pot goes towards your XP as your character levels up. Also there is Endurance mode where you get one health bar that you go on until it runs out, and Online practice that gives people a chance to just jump in and play around and experience the game online without getting pummeled the first time so they can get used to it.”

Q:  How long has Injustice been in development?
A:  “Over 2 years. Since before Mortal Kombat had shipped.”

Q:  What makes Injustice different from Mortal Kombat?
A:  “The Biggest thing is going to be intractable environments.  This is going to be the first fighting game where the environment you pick is just as important as the character you pick. Different characters use the environment in different ways. Solomon Grundy picks up the car and slams it on you. Batman puts a sticky batarang on the car and jumps off. As that happens the environments gets destroyed.”

Q:  With Evo and E-sports on the rise, is there a focus when developing the game to cater to the large scale competitors vs. the casual players?
A:  “It’s a tough balance. It’s almost a cliché easy to learn difficult to master. But as a genre we have to do that to succeed.  We start out fundamentally thinking of people that don’t normally play fighting games. We have simplified controls schemes, tutorials to get people into the game. Then at the extreme level we have spent the last many months bringing in dozens of professional players who are the Evo champions and what not to balance the end game to make sure it tournament worthy and plenty of death.”

Q:  Were there any characters that you wanted to add in that didn’t make the cut?
A:  “Me personally there is 1. I spent 2 years lobbying to get him in the game, he is called Detective Chimp.  He is an intelligent chimpanzee who dresses like Sherlock homes.  Which is the most awesome thing in the world.  But because of the serious nature of the game and the attempt to make it cinematic and gritty.  Probably was a good choice not to put him in. Hopefully DLC.”

Q:  Is there anything you want to tell the fans that they can look forward to in the future of Injustice?
A:  “Yes.  Finally a video game that really treats these DC comic characters with respect that they deserve. You’re going to have this amazing cinematic experience that looks realistic of characters you know and love, with a whole new twist that’s with the Injustice and NetherRealm art style.”

4 Next LvL Gamers would like to give a special thanks to Warner Bros. for inviting us out to this event, and thanks to Adam Urbano for allowing us the time for the interview.