Killer Instinct reveal teased with countdown – likely just a port

by Arthur · November 30, 2022

Killer Instinct artwork — Killer Instinct – it’s been roughly five years since support for the 2013 game ended (Image: Microsoft)

A brand new Killer Instinct is still just a dream, but an updated port of the original could be teased for a reveal later this week.

Although Xbox boss Phil Spencer is a fan of the series himself and has previously hinted at continuing it, there has yet to be any news of a new Killer Instinct game.

If one is being worked on, it’s certainly not with any of the series’ previous developers, as they’re all busy at the moment.

That said, eagle-eyed fans have caught wind of something Killer Instinct related being teased on Code Mystics. Something that will be announced in just a couple of days, but which is unlikely to be a new game.

First of all, Code Mystics shared an image (one that looks deliberately old-fashioned, with ridiculously dated 3D graphics), via their Twitter account, of a group of people gathered around a Killer Instinct arcade cabinet.

Second, Code Mystics has ported several other fighting games to modern platforms before, including the Xbox One ports of the first two Killer Instinct games.

These ports were never made available as standalone purchases, as you could only get them by purchasing the final edition of the 2013 game.

Maybe Microsoft plans to release them separately for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, complete with online multiplayer? Aside from making them more widely available, their release would be a great way to gauge how much interest there is still in the series.

Whatever the announcement is for, this countdown site is pointing to it happening on Friday the 2nd. December.

People have already tried examining the site’s code for clues, only to find this hilariously blunt message:

“Really, nothing to see here. Hacked together in an hour. No breadcrumbs. Pardon. Just wait until the clock goes down.’

Although the 2013 reboot was relatively successful, it didn’t make much of an impact on the fighting game scene, and the series has never been as popular as rivals like Street Fighter and Tekken. It’s not so obscure that it makes a sequel impossible, but it’s still unlikely, especially given the history of Code Mystics.

The other reason why a sequel probably isn’t what’s been teased here is that none of the developers usually associated with the series are currently free. Rare, who made the first two games, is currently busy with Everwild and has already been bombarded with requests to bring back Banjo-Kazooie.

Double Helix Games, which was responsible for the reboot, was bought by Amazon and absorbed into Amazon Game Studios a year after the game’s launch.

This led to Iron Galaxy taking over development after launch. However, it is now working on its own free-to-play battle royale title, called Rumbleverse.