Edit (Apr. 2): If you read it elsewhere, you might have been fooled, but if you were here on Mortal Kombat Online, you clearly knew it was all part of our annual April Fools tradition! We played this for the long game, but even with a genuine tweet from Ed Boon -- you couldn't be fooled! You guys are just too good! This article and the material within it was a complete fabrication. You can spew disdain for our juvenile behaviour on the forum, or come down from the high with a calming art tribute to Mortal Kombat's greatest hoax: Ermac! See you next year!

Well, it looks like the "others" have it! Since revealing his work on an unspecified Mortal Kombat in an interview with IGN [full story}; Kiefer Sutherland (24: Live Another Day, Pompeii) has been the absent subject of much speculation.

With expectations reasonably targeted at an anticipated sequel to 2011's Mortal Kombat -- the prime suspects for his unknown role revolved around new additions to the reboot line-up. Mortal Kombat Online Users voted MK4 big bad Shinnok as the most likely casting, but in response to our Kommunity Kountdown article, the star re-emerged briefly to clarify:

The 12.9% who voted "Other" were clearly headed in the right direction -- even if nobody pegged MK3 super-cop Stryker as the obvious choice. Given Sutherland's extensive role as Jack Bauer in 24 TV, films and video games, this probably shouldn't come as too big a shock. What's surprising, however, is the apparent reveal of a remake or sequel to the notorious 2000 third-person shooter: Mortal Kombat: Special Forces.

Update: NetherRealm Studios Creative Director Ed Boon has confirmed Sutherland's report in a new tweet.

Update: Responding to our earlier inquiries, NetherRealm has sent the following press release:

MORTAL KOMBAT: SPECIAL FORCES HD Coming to PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox One and PC

DESCEND INTO THE CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD IN NOVEMBER

BURBANK, Calif. – Apr. 1, 2014 – Just in time for the holidays, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment present an exciting expansion to the world of the blockbuster fighting game franchise Mortal Kombat. Developed by award-winning NetherRealm Studios, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces HD will mark the debut of the Mortal Kombat series on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®Vita handheld entertainment system and Windows PC, and also brings this content rich version to the Xbox One games and entertainment system from Microsoft.

"Mortal Kombat: Special Forces HD" will continue the ground breaking, award-winning work of Mortal Kombat and Injustice: Gods Among Us, revolutionizing story telling in shooting games with an exciting adaptive mode that changes the events of the game based on the choices of the player. This deep, original story will feature iconic characters from the fighting games such as Jax, Sonya, Stryker and Gemini.

Bringing the fan-favourite Special Forces HD characters to life will be an all-star cast of voice acting talent. The cast includes Kiefer Sutherland ("24: Live Another Day") as cop turned soldier "Kurtis Stryker," Michael Jai White ("Arrow") as Special Forces veteran "Jax Briggs," Dana Lyn Baron ("Mortal Kombat") as the haunted "Sonya Blade," Rhasaan Orange ("Mortal Kombat") as the cyborg "Cyrax," Oded Fehr ("The Mummy") as the blind swordsman "Kenshi," David Keith ("Nikita") as field agent "Lance Kobalt," and Tara Strong ("Teen Titans Go") as the intelligence agent who guides you through the action "Gemini".

Players will guide the unprecedented playable roster as they descend into the criminal underworld and beyond. There you will combat iconic villains Kano, The Black Dragon, The Tekunin, The Red Dragon, The Lin Kuei and many more. The game has a suggested retail price of $49.99 for PS4™ system, PS3™ system and Xbox One, $39.99 for Windows PC and $24.99 for PS®Vita.

Fans will enjoy access to the ground breaking, adaptive story mode as well as a host of extra Special Forces Missions, and extensive Co-Op, Suicide Mission and PVP online options. The game will also receive a robust DLC program from NetherRealm Studios.

For more information and the latest updates, visit www.themortalkombat.com or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mortalkombat.

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About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

About NetherRealm Studios NetherRealm Studios is a leader in the development of interactive entertainment, and the creator of the billion dollar Mortal Kombat franchise. Mortal Kombat has spawned two theatrical films, multiple television series, and has sold over 35 million games to date. Located in Chicago, Illinois the award-winning NetherRealm team has been working and creating games together since 1992. Additional information about NetherRealm Studios can be found at www.netherrealm.com.

Other stars to have played the once infamous cop kombatant include; Ron Perlman (Defenders of the Realm), Matthew Mercer (Mortal Kombat (2011)), Tahmoh Penikett (Legacy) & Eric Jacobus (Legacy II). [Related News: Director Reportedly Probing for Legacy III Return]

The tweet has since been deleted during the writing of this report, but a screenshot has been made available [above]. Mortal Kombat Online has reached out to NetherRealm Studios for clarification and will monitor the story as it develops. Share your thoughts about the new game on the forums.