"It is almost time" was the title of a recent teaser trailer and its the bio line for the official Mortal Kombat twitter account -- but that's not all that's new for MK social media. A changing of the dress begins the ritual of a new game, but what does a blank avatar and header mean? Get your speculation started -- it's almost time!

It's almost like a spotlight waiting for a subject, but the emergence of a white avatar and header on the official Mortal Kombat Twitter page suggests much, while revealing little. We've included a screenshot a little further down for posterity.

They've already pretty literally told us it's almost time, but we could take it that the whiteout means something is imminent. How imminent? Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon has literally spelled out that "this week should be fun", while online rumor mongers are talking up tomorrow.

As much as we would discourage from investing too heavily in unverified sources, there's some precedent for a quick turnaround, in this case. Back in 2014, Ed Boon switched to a white avatar immediately before switching it out to reveal new Mortal Kombat X dragon logo! Update: ... and just like that, they boldly confirmed Thursday - it is time!

Could there be deeper meaning hidden within the blinding white abyss? Gaze long enough and you'll see some squiggly pixel artifacts before they begin gazing back at you, but with all this talk of something being "almost" time, and the expoding sands of the MK30th celebration -- perhaps time is of the essence?

The new Mortal Kombat was confirmed in February during a Warner Brothers Discovery press call, and will 'make sense' according to Ed Boon. We haven't made sense of his mysterious online broadcast, but the head of NetherRealm has already teased a returning character.

What do you hope to see from the next game? Share your wildest theories in the comments below and find & discuss more teasers and speculation in the Future Mortal Kombat forum! It's almost time, kombatants!

The clock is ticking towards the next Mortal Kombat and if time wasn't already on our minds -- it certainly is after a freshly dropped teaser trailer. The numbers don't quite add up, but they could be telling us a whole lot. Watch the video now:

The significance of the ticking clock beginning at 9 might not seem immediately apparent, but as it passes 10 and begins to oscillate rapidly at 11 -- it becomes all too clear that the Mortal Kombat timeline begun with the ninth game, and most recently disrupted in Mortal Kombat 11, is on the developer's minds.

The minute hand accelerates straight back to 1, and in a year marking the 30th Anniversary of the original Mortal Kombat -- that number takes on some heavy signifcance! This could be a sign of new beginnings, or perhaps a teaser for an imminent release date.

Last year series co-creator and Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon teased that NetherRealm Studios' next game would make sense, and the developer has recently been celebrating the series' milestone, but how literally the return to 1 should be taken from the teaser trailer remains to be seen.

There have been multiple noteworthy attempts to remaster the first MK, and in 2020 a mysterious Mortal Kombat Kollection Online was rated by the Pan European Game Information standards board, fuelling speculation that the oft aborted project might find its way to publication.

Retrospection has clearly been a feature of the 30th Anniversary year, but before we place too much expectation on a revisitation of the 1992 original, we should also remember that Ed Boon has been discussing the 3D era begun with Deadly Alliance, and described cult favourite Tremor as very likely to return.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath left players with questions about the state of the MK timeline as Fire God Liu Kang visited the legendary Great Kung Lao hundreds of years in the past, and Shang Tsung threatened further conquests. There is also the existence of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught to consider -- a story driven mobile game coming soon.

[Related Article: John Tobias Details Mortal Kombat Champions Timeline]

Ed Boon may have also mysteriously teased to various other characters from throughout the MK series history. All that's certain is that we will see the next game this year! So what do you think the trailer means? Share your theories in the comments below and keep the discussion brewing in the Future MK forum!

A return of Mortal Kombat to the big screen came with the shock absence of Johnny Cage, but a new report claims the sequel is entering final talks to fill the coveted role of the moviestar turned martial arts hero. Read on for details:

Everyone from Ryan Reynolds, to WWE wrestler Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, and Kickboxer star Alain Moussi have discussed the role that was teased at the end of the 2021 film, but producer Todd Garner has confirmed the legitimacy of recently reported rumors that Karl Urban has entered final talks to don the $500 dollar sunglasses. He did so with a simple "yes", responding to a fan posting the article on Twitter.

Known for disappearing into his chameleonic performances, the Kiwi actor currently stars as punkish Billy Butcher in Amazon's streaming comic book adaptation, The Boys. He's previously featured as McCoy in the JJ Abrams directed Star Trek reboot, as Skurge the Executioner in Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, Russian assassin Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, and the starring hero of video game adaptation Doom.

Fans bristled at the disappearance of one of Mortal Kombat's iconic original characters, described as too similar to Kano for the 2021 cinematic reboot. The omission turned Cage into one of the most talked about characters in the series, expected to headline the next Mortal Kombat Legends animated featured: Cage Match.

Traditionally comic relief with legitimate martial arts chops; Cage matured into a lead protagonist when a timeline without most major heroes led him to join the Special Forces ranks for Mortal Kombat X, leading the defeat of Shinnok before daughter Cassie Cage inherited the role.

The cinematic adaptation has so far gone its own way, eschewing beloved established video game canon to tell a story built around original creation Cole Young (Lewis Tan), and the struggle against Shang Tsung (Chin Han)'s attempts to prevent the prophesied hero competing in the next Mortal Kombat tournament.

Simon McQuoid will return to direct the sequel, with new writer Jeremy Slater plotting to embrace MK's weird universe for the sequel. Rumors suggest the script will feature Shao Kahn, Kitana and Outworld, raising questions about whether or not we'll even see the iconic tournament in this big screen adaptation.

[Related: Review: Mortal Kombat Hacks Into Franchise Reboot]

What do you think about the prospective casting? How do you expect Karl Urban to play the role? Share your reaction in the comments below and find and discuss more movie news & speculation in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Like sand through the hour glass, so are the thirty years of Mortal Kombat! To celebrate the milestone year: NetherRealm Studios has shown gratitude to the fans, players, and developers with a special "Thank You" video featuring dozens of staff -- and what might be the first tease for what's coming next. Watch:

The 130 second clip features some minimally stylish 30th Anniversary design, with dozens of staffers paying homage to the occasion, whom Mortal Kombat Online would like to return thanks and acknowledgements to. Without you we wouldn't have had over a dozen fantastic games to enjoy playing and discussing for all these years!

As great as the history of the franchise has been, we're all looking forward to the future -- and after a few words from stalwart co-creator Ed Boon, we zoom into a structure to follow what appears to be grains of sand, falling until one grain is so close it appears huge -- before it explodes into a galaxy of tiny particles and fragments!

What does the teaser clip mean? It recalls the sands of time that were so important to Mortal Kombat 11 and left us with dangling questions about the future and distant past of MK's reality. Will the Fire God Liu Kang rewrite hundreds of years of history, will Shang Tsung direct the gods in a conquest of all realms, or are these just one of many conclusions that ripple outward across a multiverse of possibilities after Kronika's defeat?

Sand is the domain of Tremor, who returned in the animated alternate future of Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, and Ed Boon described as "very very likely" to appear in the coming sequel. The Special Forces elemental powerhouse went to a "dream realm" in his Mortal Kombat X arcade ending, but could he have a major role to play in the next stage of kombat? It also recalls the life-like automaton Geras, who served the general theme of Time Keeper Kronika throughout MK11.

Series co-creator kicked off a fresh whirlwind of speculation when he broadcast a mysterious playlist to Twitter. Could this be the beginning of decoding a deeper meaning?

[Related Article: Ed Boon Technically Confirms Upcoming Game & More in Q&A]

We again thank the NetherRealm Studios staff in order of appearance in the Gratitude video: Kingston Lorenzo (Artist), John Vogel (Senior Artist, Cinematics), Jeremiah Waldron (Advanced Software Engineer), Brian Lebaron (Senior Designer), Dan Forden (Audio Director), Fuzzy Gerdes (Senior Producer), Derek Kirtzic (Lead Designer, Systems), Gage O'Connor (Software Engineer), Rich Carle (Director of Audio), Anthony Zeffiro (Senior Advanced Animator), Taro Omiya (Software Engineer), John Martinez (Senior Animator), Andrew Senesac (Advaned Animator, Facial), Jennifer Hedrick (Senior Character Artist), Mizra Baig (Lead Software Engineer), Dominic Gianciolo (Story/VO Director), Tyler Lansdown (Community Manager), Mike Taran (Lead Artist), Hannah Evers (Producer), Jonathan Andersen (Senior Production Manager, Designer), Steve Beran (Director of Art), Jay Biondo (SR Advanced Software Engineer), Dan Roth (Producer), Cole Krivoski (Producer), Kato Moritz (Associate Producer), Joe Berger (Art Director), Antonio Cendejas (Artist, Technical), Tony Goskie (Senior Artist), Josh Slingerland (Principal Artist), Mick Cielesz (Senior Designer, Systems), Ed Fedemeyer (Senior Software Engineer), Ryan Torrey (Senior Animator), Alex Bittner (Senior Animator), Joe Flores (Production Manager), The Environment Team, Quality Assurance Team, User Interface Team, Koretech Team, and series co-creator Ed Boon!

Join us in echoing thanks back to the developer in the comments below and share your thoughts about the details of the sandy teaser. Delve deeper into speculation and wishlists by heading into the Future Mortal Kombat forum!

Thirty years of references and cryptic clues have given Mortal Kombat fans some insight into the musical tastes of co-creator Ed Boon, but his latest playlist has everybody scratching their heads. It was broadcast via social media, with an alleged slew of inexplicable sound effects that might connect it with the upcoming game. Brace yourself, weary traveler. We're about to enter the speculation zone!

Roughly 2,900 curious listeners tuned in to a Twitterspace broadcast called "Zkplintflo" on Sunday, April 30th. Most heard portions of a nine song tracklisting, which included selections from Pink Floyd and The Beatles, but many also report hearing sound bytes from Mortal Kombat II or 3, and other unexplained sounds.

The alleged connection to Mortal Kombat makes this seem like another klassic case of Boon using pop culture references to tease upcoming projects. One of the songs heard -- Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody -- was part of 2020 teases for Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, and as many fans are accustomed to seeing, Prince's Purple Rain kicked things off. Find and listen to the tracklist below:

1. Prince - Purple Rain
2. Pink Floyd - Mother
3. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
4. The Beatles - Let It Be
5. The Sylvers - Boogie Fever
6. The Police - Every Breath You Take
7. Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice
8. Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall
9. The Beatles - The End

Song titles, artists, and lyrics could suggest a variety of characters, from frontrunners Rain, mother Sonya Blade, Queen Sindel, insect D'Vorah, silver haired Fujin and Raiden, policeman Stryker, drunken master Bo' Rai Cho, Mortal Kombat X's student fighters, to perhaps even Dream Realm visitors Tremor or Freddy Krueger.

These low hanging interpretations fail to explain the unusual title given to the broadcast, and don't rule out the possibility of deeper codes involving release dates, or album track listings. So far we haven't come up with anything, but it wouldn't be the first time.

Was this all just a case of an accidental 'butt broadcast', or is Boon back crafting cryptic headscratchers as we count down to the confirmed 2023 reveal of the next Mortal Kombat? Join the speculation in the comments below and share your hopes with us on the forums!