As we count down to the retro-infused release of Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection -- series co-creator Ed Boon has unearthed a piece of Mortal Kombat development lore long thought lost to the past. It's only a screenshot for now, but the image comes from a pre-MK 1990 project that fans will instantly recognize from long discussed trivia about the game. Take a closer look:

Early access release of Mortal Kombat 1 is almost upon us -- and all the kombatants are gathered in the official Launch Trailer! Get a fresh glimpse of some of the most recently revealed characters and prepare yourself for the experience soon to come! Watch:

After decades of trivia and years of speculation: Jean-Claude Van Damme has finally come to fight! The legendary "Muscles from Brussels" is a Premium downloadable skin in Mortal Kombat 1 with likeness and voice. Watch the official trailer:

Ed Boon has been spitting hellfire as the voice of Scorpion for thirty years, but can he handle his hot sauce? Things get toasty as Hot Ones welcomes the NetherRealm Studios Chief Creative Officer to try some chicken wings, talk games, and preview Mortal Kombat 1. Watch:

Fire God Liu Kang remakes the Mortal Kombat Universe as a new dawn begins in Mortal Kombat 1. The fight is in your blood as a new reality unfolds on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Watch the new trailer and get more details right here:

High kick doyen Jean-Claude Van Damme has been back in the news with his re-enactment of his Kickboxer dance scene during Conan. The appearance clearly caught Mortal Kombat X Creative Director Ed Boon's attention. Following the appearance, he floated the concept of introducing the eighties & nineties action star as an in-game skin:

According to the traditions of the Chinese calendar, 2012 is determined the current Year of the Dragon. If impressions are anything to go by, it was purely serendipity that made this the perfect date for the twentieth anniversary of a series so widely identified by its iconic Dragon Logo.

The origin of the Dragon Logo symbol was just one of the topics covered when Mortal Kombat Online entered in to a conversation with a man whose legacy now far exceeds his time with the Mortal Kombat franchise.

It has become tradition for Mortal Kombat Online interviews to begin with the simple question of, in their own words, who the subject is. In the case of John Tobias, introductions are hardly needed. Together with Ed Boon, Tobias is credited as being the co-creator of Mortal Kombat -- a video game dynasty that dominated arcades until their eventual demise at the turn of the millenium, and continues to rule on home consoles.

As the man responsible for creating the original characters (and premise) that have populated Mortal Kombat in its every iteration, the influence of John Tobias is felt throughout the series -- even in the latest game, which set out to reboot the franchise by rewriting its history.

Join us in returning to the original source as John Tobias discusses Mortal Kombat's origins. In Part 1, we review how the series got its start, the names and faces that nearly led it down a different path, and the impact and legacy the original games have had.