The best in the ESL Mortal Kombat X world leagues will converge on Burbank, California today for one purpose: The Season 3 Final! Their journey is the culmination of three ESL seasons. and two years of competitive play in the latest instalment of the franchise. It brings them to what might be the most competitive stage of the game's life!

Fans embraced an announcement trailer with gusto, making it a worldwide trend -- but the cinematic introduction to Injustice 2 only tells us so much about the game. Fans eager to see how the fighting sequel actually plays will get their first glimpse in a special presentation - this weekend!

Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment has announced the onset of a third season of the Mortal Kombat XL Electronic Sports League, boasting a $500,000 total prize pool for players to contest in 2016.

Burbank, Calif. – March 30, 2016 – Coming on the heels of the second pro league finals, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced an expansion of Mortal Kombat X esports by launching a new competitive series in April that includes the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3 and the ESL Challenger Cup, as well as official sponsorships of local tournaments across North America and Europe. The total prize pool for the program is $500,000 USD and with new characters now available to play in the recently released Mortal Kombat XL, the time has never been better for fans across the globe to compete and win while enjoying the best selling fighting game from NetherRealm Studios.

“Mortal Kombat has always been about friends going head-to-head in ‘couch competition.’ With Mortal Kombat X, these players now have multiple ways of jumping into the tournament scene to prove their skills and win cash,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios and co-creator of Mortal Kombat. “This is the biggest commitment we’ve made to the esports scene and with our newly enhanced online experience, we’re looking forward to seeing the intense match-ups at the various tournaments we’re supporting.”

The third season of the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League begins April 3 with the best players from around the world facing off for supremacy during an eight-week online season. Sixteen finalists across North America, Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and for the first time, Latin America, will convene June 12 in Burbank, Calif. for a live showdown in front of a studio audience. PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system players will be fighting to win a piece of the $200,000 USD prize pool, which will be distributed among the eight finalists, granting more players than ever a chance to earn a share of the prize.

The ESL Mortal Kombat X Challenger Cup kicks off April 2 and offers an all-new way for PlayStation®4 system and Xbox One gamers who are not competing in the ESL Pro League to battle online for cash and prizes. Open tournaments across North America, Europe, CIS and Latin America will be held weekly through the end of June, with monthly finals to be streamed live.

Additionally, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios will continue to support local tournaments across North America and Europe with sponsorships and contributions to prize pool funding.

Fans can continue to show their support for Mortal Kombat X esports by purchasing the Blue Steel Sub-Zero or recently released character skin via the PlayStation®Store or Xbox Marketplace. A portion of the proceeds goes towards supporting Mortal Kombat X tournament prize pools.

For more information on ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3and the ESL Mortal Kombat X Challenger Cup Series, please visit ProLeague.com/MKX. For the latest updates, follow Mortal Kombat on Facebook and Twitter.

Mortal Kombat X is NetherRealm Studios’ most recent installment in its legendary, critically acclaimed fighting game franchise that propels the iconic franchise into a new generation. The game combines a cinematic presentation with all new gameplay to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever, offering a new fully-connected experience that launches players into a persistent online contest where every fight matters in a global battle for supremacy. For the first time, Mortal Kombat X gives players the ability to choose from multiple variations of each character impacting both strategy and fighting style. Players step into an original story showcasing some of the game’s most prolific characters including Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while introducing new challengers that represent the forces of good and evil and tie the tale together.

The rivalry has been rekindled ahead of a second season of Electronic Sports League tournament action! The North American Mortal Kombat X Pre-Season Cup came down to a finals pairing familiar to anyone who's followed the MK scene since 2011: 2015 Evo World Champion SonicFox5000 besting 2011/2012 champ PerfectLegend in the online final!

It was a massive turn out for the online tournament, contested over a nearly full 256 fighter bracket! Like all good tournaments, it was do-or-die single elimination, with the final winner claiming a $250 purse. Here's the full rundown:

With modern origins rooted in independent regional events run by gamers, for gamers; it's perhaps unsurprising inter-personal drama - and corruption - has had an ugly background presence throughout the development of professionalized organized gaming.

Turtle Entertainment's Electronic Sports League (ESL) have been a leader in developing organized "eSports", and will take the next major step toward professional competitive parity with the introduction of player drug testing.

Motherboard reports the move comes in the wake of an admission of doping from Counter Strike competitor Cory “Semphis” Friesen. He reportedly acknowledged abusing ADHD drug Adderall to enhance performance and response. All Cloud 9 teammates were said to have participated in the allegedly widespread practice during an ESL tournament in Poland.

ESL introduced Mortal Kombat X to its league infrastructure with April's Fatal 8 Exhibition Tournament, before launching Season One of the league in May. Inaugural winner Dominique "Sonic Fox" McLean (17) walked away with $60,000 in winnings. He is among the youngest players achieving success, having gained first notice in 2012.

The injection of corporate wealth has already been a catalyst for eliminating lingering conflicts of interest. This year's Evo World Championship forced the omission of Mortal Kombat X players close to development and testing, including scene stalwart: Osu16bit. Warner Brothers and NetherRealm Studios have prioritized tournament support in promotion of the game, offering several large cash prizes to events.

ESL are yet to confirm the specifics of their drug policy, which will not include retroactive policing. It is unknown if all games will be targeted for testing. Mortal Kombat Online has reached out to ESL for more information.

Drug testing will be but one of the struggles eSports faces as it pursues legitimacy beyond the niche. This year's Evo Finals saw viewership increases for most events [full story], but the costs associated with testing and independent regulation may be a bridge too far for most organizers. A cocktail of young demographics, escapist entertainment, competitive culture and unregulated events poses inherent challenges for a world already rocked by ontroversies of match fixing, hacking and exploitation. ESL Head of Communications Anna Rozwandowicz told Motehrboard they will combat this with, "... drugs policing, education, and prevention among participants of [its] competitions."

NetherRealm Studios' commitment to the competitive eSports scene established a new era for their flagship series with Mortal Kombat (2011). In 2015, the next generation of kombat takes the fight a step further with the ESL Mortal Kombat Pro League!

The ESL League will draw from the world's top competitive players, taking advantage of ESL's global eSports infrastructure to offer tournament challenges to players from North America, Russia, The United Kingdom & Europe! April begins with The Fatal 8 exhibition tournament -- an invitational bracket launching the pre-season with a high calibre face-off in Mortal Kombat X!

The downloadable content keeps on coming! With the announcement of the Who’s Next? Mortal Kombat X Worldwide Competitive Program; Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios have revealed the Blue Steel Sub-Zero skin.