Our first look at gameplay from Mortal Kombat 1 is just days away as part of a world premiere reveal at the upcoming Summer Game Fest, but that doesn't mean Ed Boon isn't letting a few tasty morsels of info out to whet our appetites. The Chief Creative Officer teased returning characters and moves in a series of tweets hyping up the coming reveal.

Tearing attention away from the freshly released, forward-thinking Street Fighter 6 is no mean feat, but Boon is giving MK fans plenty to chew on as they scramble to decipher hidden meanings from a Mortal Kombat 1 announce trailer that may've got some looking a little farther back into the series' thirty-year history than is necessary.

The title of the twelfth core installment may sound like its returning to the roots of the first Mortal Kombat, but in a quoted tweet replying to Summer Game Fest host Geoff Keighley, who hyped "Ed Boon 'bout to blow the roof off the YouTube Theater on Thursday", the MK1 head referenced "Kameos & Kombos & Breakers" -- Breakers being a defensive move that made their debut in Mortal Kombat: Deception.

He also used the Mortal Kombat 4 character select screen to tease fans with the prospect of some returning favourites from the transitional 1997 arcade fighter: "Some making their way back into action.."

Some making their way back into action.. ???? pic.twitter.com/WtnKOlxmTK

— Ed Boon (@noobde) June 6, 2023

Arch-villains Shinnok and Quan Chi reprised major roles in Mortal Kombat X, and appear to factor into the soon to release story-driven mobile RPG Mortal Kombat: Onslaught. They also had major roles in the prequel spin-off Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero, which established pre-MK lore leading up to the Shaolin tournament and Scorpion's revenge on the elder Sub-Zero, and could be relevant to a retelling of earlier events in the series, despite their recency.

Fujin returned with a compelling design update as part of the Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath downloadable content package in 2020, while Tanya made a fully fleshed out downloadable return in the Mortal Kombat X Kombat Pack. Both also appear as playable characters in the long-running Mortal Kombat Mobile game.

More compelling are the lapsed kombatants who debuted in MK4: White Lotus fighter Kai was conspicuous by absence in MKX's retelling of MK4, last seen in Armageddon and ripe with potential for reinvention. Reiko cemented a cult following with cunning portrayal in MKX tie-in comic books, advancing his appearance in Armageddon. Black Dragon thug Jarek had a small appearance in the aMKX comic books and Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind animated feature.

In recent fan Q&As Ed Boon noted he's more hyped for Reiko than Shao Kahn, also describing a Mortal Kombat 4 remake as unlikely, but a "bucket list" item. Perhaps returning characters will have to do for now -- but which ones?

Do you think we'll see some of MK4's less frequent fighters? Will they be more than mere Kameos? Share your hopes & thoughts in the comments below and make sure you save the Summer Game Fest date by dowloading the MKO App via App Store or Google Play! Use it to find & discuss more news & rumors in the Mortal Kombat 1 forum!

With production to begin next month in Australia, the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie sequel has found one of its most vital pieces, adding another Netflix series alum to its growing cast of iconic kombat characters. Read on for details:

Princess Kitana is confirmed to make a return to games after appearing in the Mortal Kombat 1 announce trailer, but it will be a debut when Adeline Rudolph steps into the role in the follow-up to the 2021 cinematic reboot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rudolph previously appeared as Billie Wesker in the 2022 Resident Evil television adaptation, and as Agatha for thirty-six episodes of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She's the second Sabrina actress reported to join MK2, set to appear opposite Tati Gabrielle as Jade.

Adeline Rudolph appearing as Agatha in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Eagle-eyed viewers of the 2021 film might have seen Kitana's fans displayed as set dressing, with director Simon McQuoid noting intense public interest in the character, and a desire to explore more of the iconic female cast in the sequel. Her in-fiction cloned twin, Mileena (Sisi Stringer), met a grim fate in the first installment.

First appearing in Mortal Kombat II as a personal assassin for Emperor Shao Kahn; Kitana quickly gained equal footing as one of the most recognized characters from the arcade franchise. Her in-fiction loyalties were flipped with a completion of the game, exposing her origins as the rightful heir to a doomed realm, revealed in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 to be called Edenia. These plotlines influenced a 1995 big screen portrayal by Talisa Soto.

Versions of this story are widely rumored to inform the upcoming movie which, according to new writer Jeremy Slater, aims to embrace the "weird universe" of Mortal Kombat. Despite this, the sequel will also find room for hotly anticipated human fighter Johnny Cage, rumored to be played by Karl Urban.

[Related Article: WB Games Announces Mortal Kombat: Onslaught Mobile RPG]

What do you think about the latest round of casting news? Are you excited to see Kitana return to the big screen? Share your thoughts in the comments below and find & discuss more movie news in the Media & Merchandise forum!

In mere hours the PlayStation Showcase will preview what's coming to PS5 and PS VR2, but before they look to the future the Sony console is casting a spotlight on ten unmissable classic fighting games available through PlayStation Plus. It includes multiple offerings from NetherRealm Studios. Read on for details:

Injustice: Gods Among Us Deluxe Edition and Mortal Kombat 11 are both available through PlayStation Plus Premium, with MK11 on offer through PS Plus Extra as well. They feature on a complete list showcased by PlayStation.Blog, alongside legendary fighters Ultra Street Fighter IV, Tekken 7, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dead Or Alive 5: Last Bout, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, Fighting Layer EX, Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet, and The Last Blade 2.

PlayStation.Blog describes Injustice: "Injustice: Gods Among Us takes the best of DC Comics’ brave and the bold and pits them against one another. Developer NetherRealm Studios takes the bones of Mortal Kombat and adds new features–such as interactable objects, transitioning environments, and more dynamic movement options–to make you feel like a true superhero or villain."

Will NetherRealm Studios' next game Mortal Kombat 1 feature during today's PlayStation Showcase? It will be one of the blockbuster new fighting games coming to PlayStation 5 later this year, but a gameplay reveal isn't coming until next month's Summer Game Fest. Catch up with the MK1 announce reveal trailer and take in the Sony sights & sounds when they begin 1:00PM PDT below.

Will you be revisiting NetherRealm's fighters with PlayStation Plus? Tell us about your experience with all ten fighters in the comments below and look ahead to what's next in the Mortal Kombat 1 forum!

The official announce trailer gave us our first peak at the new reality of Mortal Kombat 1 and very soon we're going to get our first glimpse of how we'll interact with it. Summer Game Fest has announced the world premiere for MK1 gameplay coming next month! Read on for details:

NetherRealm Studios Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon will be on hand to join host Geoff Keighley live on stage on June 8th for the first reveal of in-game gameplay footage. It will all go down 12:00PM PT with tickets to the YouTube Theater event in Inglewood, California available now!

Mortal Kombat 1 is set to feature a new fighting system that utilizes a unique roster of assisting Kameo Fighters during matches to create all-new gameplay possibilities in new modes, and with devastating new finishing moves! Update: Watch the big reveal with us right here:

MK1 is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC in a variety of editions that will unlock early access, and additional downloadable content via The Kombat Pack.

Will you be watching the Summer Game Fest for the exciting first look? What do you hope to see in the new game engine? Share your hopes in the comments below and dig deeper into the new era in the Mortal Kombat 1 forum! Download the MKO App via Google Play and the App Store to receive notices and save the date!

Australia will once again host the next round of theatrical battle as the tentatively titled Mortal Kombat 2 movie sequel confirms relocation to the state of Queensland. The announcement was made by New Line Cinema, Warner Bros Pictures, and Screen Queensland over the weekend.

The first installment was filmed and produced out of South Australia, but has been lured to the east coast by Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, and incentives provided by the Queensland Government. The Location Offset scheme offers a 16.5% tax rebate on qualifying Australian spend, effectively reaching 30% upon approval from the Australian Government’s Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts.

An estimated injection of $68 million dollars in local spend, and creation of 560 local jobs, has been a major talking point for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's government, who have successfully lured many major Hollywood productions to the state of Queensland, including the 2018 James Wan directed Aquaman, and Marvel's Thor: Love and Thunder. Production will begin in June , filming at the Gold Coast's Village Roadshow Studios.

The film is once again a joint production by Atomic Monster & Broken Road, with Australian filmmaker James Wan returning with Michael Clear for Atomic Monster, with Todd Garner, E Bennet Walsh, and director Simon McQuoid. In a statement to media, Wan said, "Filming the first film in Australia was such a great experience, I’m thrilled that with the help of Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, we can show off the majestic locations of Queensland and work with the top-notch artistic talent based there."

It remains to be seen how the seachange will impact the final look of the film, with various iconic locations, including the realm of Outworld, finding their visual identity in South Australia for the first movie. Todd Garner notes, "“The state is proving to be a premier destination for filmmaking with state-of-the-art production facilities, stunning locations, and a highly skilled local workforce, making it the perfect location for this film."

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat Movie Enters Final Talks With Jade Actor]

Australian actors Jessica McNamee and josh Lawson are expected to reprise their roles as Sonya Blade and Kano, with New Zealand actor Karl Urban in talks to appear as Johnny Cage. The sequel is rumored to depict Shao Kahn's conquest of Edenia as new writer Jeremy Slater aims to explore the "weird universe" of MK, and presumably the antagonists of Outworld.

Describing Outworld in a review of the 2021 movie, MKO noted: "[Shang Tsung overlooks] a realm entirely comprised of barren Australian dirt. This slightly gloomy, color-tinted dirt is distinct from the sun-kissed dirt that surrounds storm god Raiden's desert temple. The underwhelming aesthetic choices seem to betray the film's modest budget and location shooting, and recall Annihilation more than any iconic reference from the games."

What do you hope the change of production location will bring to the sequel? Share your thoughts in the comments below and find & discuss more news in the Media & Merchandise forum.