Shinnok's Amulet Christmas Ornament by fuzzdorkSeasons greetings! As is tradition, Mortal Kombat Online would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, wherever you are!

Tradition is always on our minds at this time of year, not just for festive preference, but for the ominous milestone of our creation! This year, we hope the entire kommunity will join us in celebrating the 14th Anniversary of Mortal Kombat Online!

Fourteen years has given MKO an intimate and somewhat unique perspective of the Mortal Kombat landscape, which itself observed fitting milestones during the passing Chinese Year of the Dragon. In 2012 we saw both the 20th Anniversary of the first Mortal Kombat, and the 10th Anniversary of Deadly Alliance -- the origin points of two distinct eras in the history of the series (particularly important to MKO's history).

The continued establishment of the 2011 reboot has been just as important, inducting new fans and new traditions. The Komplete Edition released at the beginning of the year gave the game new legs (particularly on Vita), spurred on by the support of the tournament community who fought across the world. 2012 was Mortal Kombat's first time being a part of Major League Gaming, and saw the game into a second consecutive Evo World Championship.

For the time being, news in the traditional sense now seems to be the domain of the extended universe spawned by the Mortal Kombat license. 2012 continued to be a merchandising reneissance, while the announcement and filming of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Series 2 has given us something new to watch out for in the coming year.

As NetherRealm Studios shift their focus to new projects, so too has Mortal Kombat Online. While we remain fiercely dedicated to the web's best, most informed and reliable coverage of Mortal Kombat, we have allowed the portals to reopen to the DC Universe once more. In 2008, we revealed the exclusive first-look at Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe; now we're along for the ride again to support NetherRealm's development of Injustice: Gods Among Us.

All in all it's been a massive year on Mortal Kombat Online -- something we'll no doubt talk about more, at some point between now and the next ten years. We expect 2013 to be just as big, and hope everyone will join us on the site and forums to discover what lies ahead!

On a personal note, I'm honored to have been a part of Mortal Kombat Online in 2012. As an MK fan from the start, I first joined the site in its earliest days, sometime around '98 or '99. I can't tell you a whole lot about my earliest experiences, but like many other fans, I made MK5.org my MK home. Into the Online years, I became a part of the staff during a short stint as an editor in 2010-2011, before taking the reins as Webmaster at the beginning of 2012. I have taken this responsibility very seriously, with a sense of tremendous value for the long history that MKO has accumulated. I'm very grateful to everyone who has contributed throughout my custodianship, and would also like to acknowledge the many people who have come before me.

Merry Christmas, Mortal Kombat Online. Best wishes to you and your families during the holiday season! Hope to see you in the new year. Sincerely, (Webmaster).