Bernard Beneteau wasn't necessarily a name on most fans' lips -- but he made waves recently when his Ermac "fan-art" was mistaken for a Mortal Kombat X leak (re)tweeted by Ed Boon [full story].

As reported; the work was something the professional artist knocked together in his "spare time". A testament to the talents of his vocation - but not surprising with all things considered. He has, after all, served as NetherRealm Studios' Senior Character Artist on: Mortal Kombat, Injustice: Gods Among Us and the 2008 crossover of the two: Mortal Kombat Versus DC Universe.

With that in mind: it won't shock you to know you've seen his work before! In case you haven't - we're featuring his other Ermac Concept Art!

The unveiling of Mortal Kombat X at this year's E3 revealed key details about its basic premise and new character line-up. We know the story takes place over a twenty-five year span - jumping forward from the aftermath of Mortal Kombat (2011), to the far flung future of a new generation.

MK2011 left many of the franchise icons deceased and under the control of Netherrealm necromancer: Quan Chi. We know to expect one or two grizzled veterans fighting into the future, but in an interview with vgBR.com, Art Director Steve Beran made one of the few direct connections between fan-favourite returns and the dead fighters.

With the reveal of the first trailer for the next game - Mortal Kombat was thrust back into the spotlight! Mortal Kombat X became an instant worldwide trend just one week ahead of its debut at E3 [Expo Preview]. The influx of interest was fuelled by a canny teaser campaign in May, but the pre-release interest hasn't been going all one way!

Gamespot report May PlayStation Network sales saw Mortal Kombat (2011) finish #4 in the top PS3 sellers! It did not chart among the Top 20 in April.

Project Lead Ed Boon revealed the Mortal Kombat X original story will "sort of" be a sequel to the 2011 smash hit, but it's "hard [to] explain." [read more] Register to join the speculation on the Mortal Kombat X forums! Thanks to MKOmmunity User McDaniel for tipping us off!

After three long years, we've got Mortal Kombat sequel fever! At the behest of series director [Ed Boon]: we're counting down to June 2nd -- that's next Monday (if you haven't noticed)! It's also right around the time we've seen the unveiling of pre-E3 launch trailers for Mortal Kombat (2010) & Injustice: Gods Among Us (2012)!

Over 80% of the MKOmmunity is convinced the June 2 countdown will fulfil our desires. There are other theories and some new ideas, but with reported leaks and the general timing, we've got good reason to talk MK sequels!

As speculation about sequel content starts to mount; one of the leading queries is exactly which characters will make it back for another go around. By the end of the time distorting Mortal Kombat reboot plot -- a majority of Earthrealm's greatest champions were left for dead in the bowels of Netherealm! Last week, we looked at the Top 10 Replacement Kombatants Ready for a Comeback who could fill that void! This week; the Mortal Kombat Online Kountdown is turning an informed eye toward the survivors who could carry over into a next gen sequel!

With the previous game retelling a simplified and slightly altered version of the original trilogy: all signs are pointing toward a reprisal of the plot from 1997's Mortal Kombat 4. We eagerly anticipate the rise of fallen Elder God Shinnok -- whose evil plan appears to be going very well! Who will help or hinder the villain in this hypothetical sequel? Here are our Top 10 Returning Fighters from Mortal Kombat (2011):

If you haven't had the chance to try Mortal Kombat (2011) or Injustice: Gods Among Us and you want to catch-up before June 2nd arrives -- now's the time!

Amazon are currently offering 75% off Steam download codes for both Mortal Kombat ($5.00) & Injustice: Gods Among Us ($7.50)! That's a downright phenomenal saving of up to $22.49!

Related Article: Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition PC Requirements

Special thank to MKOmmunity User McDaniel for sharing this incredible deal with us on Twitter! We tweeted it out earlier. Get special updates like these and more by following @MK_Online and Facebook. Be sure to like & share stories to help the community out!

Yesterday, we turned the spotlight on Sean Cantrell and his magnificent Mortal Kombat Lego. His blocky, toy inspired renders showed what might be if the world of Mortal Kombat were mere bricks and blocks. It was a wonderful proof of concept -- but what if you want to actually play with your toys?

Del Cottonwood is another industrious fan who has adapted the brutal world of Mortal Kombat into a simpler, blockier realm. Like Cantrell, he's adapted vast swaths of the Kombat cast, but in this case, they're downloadable skins for free-to-play sandbox sensation: Minecraft!

You would've had to have been lost in a pixelated underground cavern for the past few years to not know what Minecraft is. Launched in 2011; the stylized pixelated sandbox gives you a world of sky, water and earth to do with as you please. Its success has taken it to home consoles and driven an empire of paid alternatives, but the principle remains the same. Check out some of our favourites Minecraft Kombatants below:

Fans looking for the cutting edge in Mortal Kombat merchandise may have finally had their prayers answered! Pop Culture Shock Collectibles continue to diversify their official 1:4 scale statue line-up with the much requested addition of Baraka!

2014 may pose challenges to online gaming across multiple Mortal Kombat platforms as disparate services formally cease operation. GameSpy announced their impending closure last week; while Games for Windows Live was put on the chopping block by Microsoft in the middle of last year.

As reported by Polygon; the GameSpy online multiplayer and matchmaking platform used for Mortal Kombat (2011) will cease function May 31st.

GameSpy Technologies has remained autonomous since being acquired by Glu Mobile in August 2012, operating independently to the GameSpy website bought and shut down by Ziff Davis in 2013. Unrelated; GameSpy Technologies ceased software licensing in January 2013, having shut down multiple online servers -- a sign of the direction to come.

Joystiq reported speculation [January] that Games for Windows Live function will cease July 1st. Marked for death last year; Windows Live Marketplace lead the coming closure, ceasing operation last August. The GFWL shut down will affect online function for Mortal Kombat: Arcade Kollection.

Update (May 12): Mortal Kombat (2011) for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & PC has begun migration to new online servers. A statement was released via the Official Facebook:

We are currently in the process of migrating Mortal Kombat 9 (for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC) from Gamespy’s servers and expect things to go smoothly. During the transition, players may experience an interruption of online play and matchmaking and we ask for your patience during this time. Players will not experience interruptions to offline play throughout this process.

After May 31, Mortal Kombat 9 for PS Vita will only support ad-hoc multiplayer.

Virgin Gaming have added Mortal Kombat (2011) to their organized competitive challenge platform. The registration based system boasts a host of features, most prominently the ability to challenge rivals for cash in 'money matches'.

Last year, Valve Software announced that they were introducing their own entries into the world of gaming consoles. Their approach differs from that of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo; they have gone the way of Android, where they have created their own Linux distribution called SteamOS, and are encouraging PC manufacturers to create their own hardware boxes called Steam Machines. While SteamOS can run any Steam game that has been ported over to Linux, its other big selling point is In-Home Streaming, which will allow players to control and play a game from one system while the game itself runs from a second system. Thus, a person with a Steam Machine could play a Windows game from a Windows-based PC on the same network.