[Updated] Injustice 2: Fighting Game Guru Ed Boon Hoping To Create Something “Unexpected And Long-Term”

Update: According to a post via the game’s official Twitter, NetherRealm is planning to premiere Injustice 2 gameplay on Saturday, June 11. Bear in mind it’s just a “sneak peek” ahead of E3 2016, and will air during the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3 Finals at 5pm PT/8pm ET.

Original Story: Though a pre-emptive retail listing threatened to spoil the surprise, NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive officially pulled back the curtain on Injustice 2 earlier this week.

Set for a release across PlayStation 4 and Xbox One at some point in 2017, NetherRealm developer and all-round fighting game Guru Ed Boon noted how the sequel iterates on Gods Among Us, with a “vast, vast array” of gear to collect and customize your DC mascot of choice with.

But at its core, Boon and the team at NetherRealm are hoping to create something “unexpected and long-term” with Injustice 2, citing Destiny‘s impact on the shooter genre as inspiration. Speaking with Rolling Stone’s newfound gaming outlet Glixel, Boon noted that “the goals for the sequel are to do something unexpected and long-term. Kind of like what Destiny did with shooters.”

Can fans expect Injustice 2 to come packing RPG elements? Well, according to the dev, there will be plenty of ways to personalize your fighter. Said Boon: “There are thousands and thousands of pieces for, let’s say, the Flash,” he says. “You are in the constant process of making your version of the Flash.”

As for whether the lucrative success of both Rocksteady’s Arkham series and Injustice had any bearing on DC’s cinematic universe, esteemed comic book scribe Geoff Johns noted:

“To me, it’s a giant creative cycle. You have comics that influence the games, and then Arkham influences the look of a show like Gotham. It just goes round and round and round.”At the same time, Johns cautions fans not to examine Injustice 2 for hints into the future of the DC extended universe. “They’re separate completely,” he explains.

Injustice 2 is bound for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One – just don’t expect NetherRealm’s brawler to debut until some point in 2017.