Mortal Kombat X doesn't arrive for home consoles until April, 2015 - but the powerhouse franchise has already begun racking up awards with its pre-release promotion! The June Announce Trailer is the latest receiving accolades -- a finalist in the Hollywood Reporter KeyArt Awards!

As we saw with the release of the Mortal Kombat X Announce Trailer in June - the 10th instalment of MK is a global phenomenon! This was highlighted by a packed weekend campaign that saw NetherRealm Studios scattered across the globe for live events in: Russia, Australia & Mexico!

The major story across all events was the trailer reveal of Quan Chi! The returning fighter has been displayed in demo builds in each country, bringing fresh mysteries with him! These are a few of the top stories coming out of Igromir 2014, EB Expo 2014 & Electronic Game Show Mexico!

Mortal Kombat X is in far Moscow for Igromir 2014! The "gaming world" expo is where PlayStation unveiled the latest returning character in a live press conference trailer [full story]. Quan Chi is back and he's got a bad ass new look you can examine in detail in the official character render:

Ed Boon started a countdown to October 2nd - delivering us to the moment he appeared on screen at a live Russian PlayStation Press Conference to introduce the newest returning kombatant: Quan Chi!:

Mortal Kombat X is less than 7 months away! Even as the April release date and pre-order bonus draw nearer - there remains much to be discovered about the reboot sequel's fundamental elements! The playable cast continues to be a source of new speculation, but one of the overarching mysteries introduced during June's E3 unveiling is the identity of the final boss!

Every fighting game needs a memorable final challenge. Mortal Kombat has enjoyed some of the genre's best bosses - MKII & MK3's Shao Kahn still looming large since his introduction more than 20 years ago!

Series co-creator Ed Boon says MKX's boss is: "a fun surprise returning character" and "[not] a lot of people will see it coming". He's eliminated a few contenders along the way, blatantly ruling out Goro, and supressing suspicions about Kotal Kahn. With this information - Mortal Kombat Online has had its finest minds on staff debating the lead suspects. After a few months of fisticuffs and consideration - the following is our Top 10 Final Bosses for Mortal Kombat X!

Before the announcement of Mortal Kombat X, minds were understandably narrowed on the events of Mortal Kombat 4. The plot of the first three games was retold by Mortal Kombat (2011) -- heavily implying the next in sequence with a story mode cliff-hanger schemed by MK4 antagonists: Quan Chi and Shinnok.

Much remains a mystery about the plot of the 2015 sequel, or how the new history of MK2011 will play-out across MKX's 25 year timeline. The grim predicament left by a slaughter of heroic mainstays could force some surprising twists, but this isn't exactly unchartered territory. The worst outcome has always been a presented option for MK - as forewarned by a tradition of hypothetical arcade endings.

From sequel to sequel, it's typically been the heroes whose possible outcome is made canon. Over the course of Deadly Alliance and the sequels that followed, we learned it was mostly the MK4 heroes' endings that had a role to play in shaping the on-going saga. Liu Kang was victorious for a fourth consecutive event - defeating fallen Elder God Shinnok; Raiden was briefly appointed Elder God; Lt. Sonya Blade survived Jarek's aggressions, and Scorpion discovered the truth behind his spectre's curse - plunging Quan Chi into a dogged pursuit through the Netherrealm.

As Mortal Kombat Online continues to shift some of its extensive video archive to YouTube, we revisit the past of MK4 to ponder what would've happened if it all went horribly wrong. At a glance, MK4 proposes two realities -- the one we've experienced, and a darker alternative where heroes perished and evil won. Could this alternate ending influence the course of MKX? We'll find out April 14, 2015.

Last week's GameStop Expo garnered the first glimpse of official Mortal Kombat X Fight Pads that could be coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2015!

Classification looms large over the 2015 DE release of Mortal Kombat X, but that hasn't stopped Germany delivering major European coverage. Gamescom 2014 delivered interesting new details, after Kano made his first confirmed sighting in den Seiten der deutschen GamePro. Last week GameStar kept the good times coming with a rash of new screenshots featuring: Raiden, Sub-Zero, Ferra/Torr, D'Vorah & more!

It's official: Mortal Kombat X is coming to home systems April 14, 2015! The Tuesday launch will see the worldwide release reach PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC. [Related Article: MOREtal Monday: Mortal Kombat X Box Art]

The long awaited release date was announced today with an even bigger bombshell attached - pre-orders will receive bonus playable DLC character: Goro! Take a closer look at the grizzled four-armed Shokan by clicking the image below:

After unveiling Kano for Germany's Gamescom 2014 mid-August - it was to be a more modest appearance for MKX at PAX Prime. While Ed Boon dropped a 6 character podiatric tease that drew speculative attention -- it was Senior Producer Adam Urbano who put in the hard yards in Seattle. He talked Gamespot through an elementary demo. Notes follow: