The eagerly anticipated release of Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms has brought with it an unexpected animated crossover! This time Scorpion has met his match as the ninja spectre finds himself in the clutches of a popular meme before the main feature. Watch and learn:
Blazing with green energy and glowing eyes: this super-powered Shaggy is a reference to the "Ultra Instinct Shaggy" meme from 2017 that crossed over the beatnik amateur sleuth with the ki-powered fighting of Dragon Ball Super. The joke led fans to start a petition to include Shaggy in Mortal Kombat 11.
Series co-creator Ed Boon reacted to the animated encounter that will inevitably haunt his feed for years to come via Twitter: "HOLY KRAP! You people were right all along! ???? #ShaggyKonfirmed" He also joked about the topic trending in the United States.
The Mortal Kombat feature film has made its way from theatres to home media, but its success on the HBO Max streaming platform continues to be a focus as analysts examine viewership data for other major releases on the service. A new examination of the opening three weeks for six streaming blockbusters has put MK on top. Take a closer look:
Third-party ratings analyst Samba TV has shared a breakdown of estimated United States viewership for six of HBO Max's recent streaming juggernauts, putting Mortal Kombat on top of an 18 day stream window with 5.5 million households. That's slightly ahead of theatrical titan Godzilla vs King Kong at 5.1 million, which also conceded its record premier to the fighting game adaptation.
This month's DC cinematic soft-reboot The Suicide Squad stands strong at third, having also enjoyed the streaming service's second strongest premier. WarnerMedia doesn't release exact viewer numbers, but HBO Max chief Andy Forssell recently told The Hollywood Reporter that Mortal Kombat still holds the biggest opening.
A new Mortal Kombat video game could be in development according to a report from Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb. The gaming pundit sparked a rumor wildfire with his "GrubbSnax" webcast, claiming NetherRealm Studios will bypass a sequel to the last Injustice in favor of staying closer to home. Read on for full details:
Grubb couched the claims in heavy supposition, speculating that on-going instability within WarnerMedia Discovery is a driving factor for NetherRealm Studios to begin development on a twelfth installment of the Mortal Kombat series. He notes, "I wouldn't say this is like... for sure, but it lines up with the reality, and it lines up with what I've heard."
The crux of Grubb's argument revolves around the potential sale of the video game developer, and the safety of avoiding entangling their current development slate with unaffiliated licenses, such as the DC Comics characters of the Injustice franchise. His comments can be heard in the embedded video below, with more details to follow.
Warner Brothers secured outright ownership of Mortal Kombat from the sale of Midway Games in 2009, adding its related licenses and trademarks to a stable of multimedia intellectual properties that includes the afforementioned DC Comics characters.
The rumor implies any sale of NetherRealm Studios could be sweetened with a package deal inclusion of the MK franchise itself, and a prospective sequel ready to be published. A July press release touted the success -- and value -- of Mortal Kombat 11, which sold a reported 12 million units, making it one of the most successful installments in the series' three decade history, just behind Mortal Kombat X.
A potential sale of WB Games and related assets was first reported in June 2020, but was taken off the table a few months later. To date, only WB Games mobile developer Playdemic has been offloaded, sold to Electronic Arts in June for $1.4 billion dollars. Last month WB spokesperson Remi Sklar reportedly told website, TheGamer, "I can confirm NetherRealm Studios and TT Games will continue to remain a part of Warner Bros. Games, and all are included in the Warner Media Discovery merger."
Even if the rumors prove true, Injustice fans needn't be despondent just yet. The franchise is set to receive its first animated adaptation, becoming the third direct-to-video animated feature based on a NetherRealm Studios fighting game after this month's new release Mortal Kombat: Battle of the Realms!
What do you think is next in video games? Vote in the MK Online User Poll and share your thoughts about the rumors in the comments below. Join the speculation in the Future Mortal Kombat forum!
Because of the unique circumstances of this year's Evo World Championship there were actually three champions to take the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate crown! The title was spread across three different regions as top players around the world went online to battle it out for glory and gold!
The global COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic forced Evo online this year, spreading the championship and latency between North America, Europe, and Latin America. Unique circumstances that theoretically evened the playing field by giving every competitor a homeground advantage!
Mortal Kombat Online was an official co-stream of the North American finals and you watched along with us as Ninjakilla212 took top honors! He joined European Champ Disarted and Latin America's Konqueror249 at the top of the Evo 2021 pile! Read on for the final Top 16 rankings from each region:
North American Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Final Standings:
What'd you think of this year's tournament? Watch the North American finals archive while you can and share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Will Evo's return to Vegas be a triumph for MK? Find and discuss more competition in the Strategy & Gameplay forum and join the speculation about the future in the Mortal Kombat Future forum!
The Top 8 finalists will meet in the ultimate battle for Mortal Kombat 11 supremacy starting 5:30PM PST (8:30PM EST). You can watch all the drama unfold with us live on the MKO Twitch feed embedded above -- official co-stream for this year's Evo World Championship!
Which character will come out on top? Who will reign supreme in the new online era of the Sony sponsored Evo World Championship? Share all your predictions and live thoughts with us in the comments below! Talk more in the Mortal Kombat 11 and Gameplay & Strategy forums. Find and react to more from the upcoming MK animation in the Media & Merchandise forum!
Evo took to the new-look Twitter to share the news, announcing a world premiere for the unseen preview clip during this Saturday's Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Top 8 portion of the 2021 Online Championship. It comes with a screenshot of the Outworld forces that await the titular battle.
