Summary

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wave Net (an abbreviation for Williams Action Video Entertainment Network) was a planned network version of the game that allowed for online multiplayer matches. Notably, it is the only arcade version to feature Noob Saibot as a playable character. It was tested only in the Chicago and San Francisco areas that used a dedicated T1 line, connected directly to Midway's Chicago headquarters. It is highly unlikely that any Wave Net test games were ever released to the public after the infrastructure was dismantled, and so there are no known ROM image dumps of this version. One of the reasons this version was not widely adopted was the cost of T1 lines at the time: the setup cost several thousand dollars per arcade installation, plus a few hundred dollars for each cabinet using the hardware. Williams' plan was to use WaveNet to upload new games and game updates, which they would provide to arcade owners for free in exchange for a cut of the games' revenues. The Wave Net version ultimately received its first full release as part of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Collection compilation in 2025.