Earlier today, Midway Games issued a press release and conducted a conference call regarding financial results for the closure of the first quarter of 2003. Earlier, we reported that our sources claimed that Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance had shipped two million copies. This was confirmed, as well as MK: Deadly Alliance topping as their best selling game nationwide for this particular quarter. From the press release:

During the first quarter of 2003, Midway released one new domestic home videogame, MLB SlugFest 20-04, on four platforms including Sony's PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system, Microsoft's Xbox(TM) video game system, the Nintendo GameCube(TM) and Game Boy(R) Advance. Midway also launched Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in Europe on these four platforms, and this title was Midway's top-selling game during the quarter. Midway has shipped over two million units of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance worldwide across all platforms since the game's debut in November 2002.

Also according to the release, the GBA exclusive- Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition, has been set with a new release date of September 30th, 2003. It is interesting to note that Chairman , Neil Nicastro, made the following quote about the 2003 release schedule during the conference:

Our product release schedule for 2003 has been streamlined to include only those games that represent the best opportunity for success based on market research and the buying patterns of today's gamers. We're extremely excited about this product lineup and we look forward to presenting these games at this year's E3 event in Los Angeles.

Does this mean Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition will debut at E3 2003? We'll let you draw your own conclusions.

To follow up on the earlier news story from PSM Magazine, PS2 IGN has confirmed that Midway Games is going ahead and adding online play into the next console-based Mortal Kombat game. From the article:

After speaking with our own Midway contacts late yesterday afternoon, IGN confirmed that online play isn't merely an idea, but a fact; and that it will definitely be incorporated into the next version of Kombat when it debuts near the end of 2004. Unfortunately the only other confirmation we could receive was that MK6 would appear on multiple platforms, and that it will be a good long while before any more information (or official press release for that matter) becomes available.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Our thanks to forum member buijon for the heads up on this story!

Our sources deep within Midway Games have informed us of a startling new revelation concerning the GBA-exclusive sequel to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance! Since the last time we reported on Mortal Kombat: Deadly Revenge, the game has been given a new title to reflect its multiplayer and tournament and team-play features. The game's new title is Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition.

We will have more information on Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition in the weeks and months ahead.

Our thanks to our sources within Midway who were able to provide us with this scoop!

GamePro Magazine recently released the results of their Readers Choice Awards for 2002, and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was one of the big winners! From the press release:

OAKLAND, CA April 8, 2003 IDG Games Media Group, the world's largest interactive entertainment information provider and publisher of GamePro magazine, the world's largest independent multiplatform gaming magazine, today announced its 13th Annual Readers' Choice Awards Winners.

Thousands of GamePro's readers participated in the 2002 Readers' Choice Awards that ran in GamePro magazine and on GamePro.com. Winning games are announced in GamePro's May 2003 issue, on sale now on newsstands nationwide.

GamePro readers are the ultimate early adopters of video gaming products and collectively account for $1.9 billion in purchasing power on the gaming sector alone!(1) GamePro's audience of over 3 million readers (2) are the leading opinion-makers and spenders on many consumer products, including video gaming, personal electronics, music, fashion and much more, and greatly influence their peers' purchasing habits. As multiplatform enthusiasts, over 80 percent of the publication's readers own more than one gaming console (3).

Following are the winners by category for GamePro's 2002 Readers' Choice Awards:

...

Best Fighting Game: Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance (By Midway , PS2/GameCube/Xbox)

With MK:DA's sales now at around the two million units mark, and the acclaim the game has received from the gaming community and critics, it is clear that MK:DA has indeed brought about the rebirth of Mortal Kombat in a big way.

Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, released in November 2002, continues to be the best selling fighting game of the past year. Our sources tell us that sales are just shy of 2 million, and has already passed 1 million on the Playstation 2 alone. In fact, it's doing so well, Midway Games has put out another 15 second rendition of the MK:DA commercial onto television for another run. It quotes testimonials from a couple of different media outlets including Game Informer Magazine. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's success has already set the stage for a sequel exclusive to the Game Boy Advance and the upcoming Mortal Kombat 6 in 2004.

To download the newest commercial click here.

In the May 2003 issue of PSM Magazine, there is a short news article on page 16 in which they discuss a recent meeting with Ed Boon, co-creator and lead programmer/designer for Mortal Kombat, concerning the upcoming next Mortal Kombat game. From the article:

We recently spent some time with Midway's Ed Boon, master of all things mortal and kombative, and he confirmed that his team is already working on a follow-up to last year's impressive MK revival, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, to be released sometime in 2004.

Why so far away? Well, it seems that the "tear everything apart and rebuild from scratch" approach the team used to make MK:DA worked so well, Boon and crew are using the same technique this time. Thus, we can't tell you exactly what form this next MK will take. However, we can confirm that one word kept coming up over and over during our conversation: online.

The magazine should be available on newsstands now, featuring the X-Men on the cover. As more information becomes available, we will be sure to keep you all informed.

Our thanks to forum members PainGame and MKJohn for the heads-up on this news story!

With all the controversy and speculation concerning the existence of a version code and a final secret, we contacted Ed Boon, co-creator of Mortal Kombat and lead programmer for Mortal Kombat:Deadly Alliance, to see if he could shed any light on the situation. His answer:

"The version code in MKDA IS in there. I was not the programmer who put it in and I am sure that it was never intended to be discovered. Off the top of my head I don't think I can remember what the code is..."

So, at this time, the existence of the version code can be confirmed. However, Ed's answer indicates that this may or may not be the final secret mentioned during the Fight Night chat. At this point, we'll leave it for the fans to decide.

Our thanks to Ed Boon for taking the time out from his busy schedule to provide an answer for us!

(Editor's Note 2 April: The following was our annual April Fools gag. Even we need to have fun once in a while. But rest assured, the other remaining days of the year you can count on us for true and accurate MK information. - Scott Howell)

Who could ever forget the great debate on video game violence? Actually, it's still going on thanks to games like the Grand Theft Auto series, but the originator of the term was Midway's Mortal Kombat. The outrage amongst parents began and every company wanted a piece of the marketers dream, controversy. A one-on-one fighter hurled onto the arcade scene shortly after the release of MK in 1992, causing all of those video game hating parents to gasp at the depictions of decapitated limbs, heads, and blood spewing combos. This was the god-awful excuse for Time Killers. 8 characters were available to players from the start, a decent number for it's day. Almost all of them are useless with the exception of the chainsaw wielding maniac Rancid.

Hot on the heels of Namco, announcing that each version of Soul Calibur 2 will have special characters from other platforms, Midway announced yesterday that Mortal Kombat: Deadly Revenge for GameBoy Advance would feature none other than Rancid himself! When contacted, Midway stated: "We thought it would be a great spoof since Time Killers was in reality, a spoof in itself of Mortal Kombat. We felt the connection really was worth integrating the character into this game, and we believe gamers will as well."

Rancid will be one of several hidden characters appearing in MK: Deadly Revenge. The game, still in development, is planned for a late August release. Thanks to our sources for supplying us the exclusive shot from the game.