It's already been one of the worst kept secrets in gaming, but now it's official: a Mortal Kombat sequel is coming in 2023. Confirmation comes courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who addressed a fourth quarter earnings call with a slate of upcoming projects from the corporate giant. Listen to a full excerpt:

The media landscape is about to undertake another significant shift as AT&T announces the spin-off and merging of WarnerMedia with Discovery Inc. The deal will include reorganizing WB Games, which was reportedly being shopped for separate sale until late last year, under the new company. Read on for more detail:

The future of Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment has been cast under a cloud of uncertainty ever since June, when it was reported parent company AT&T was considering selling its video game assets. A recent internal corporate memo suggested stability, and now a new report claims the sale is off the table. Read on for details:

The fate of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment remains the subject of intense speculation since reports that parent company AT&T may be interested in selling, but an internal memo released to WarnerMedia staff has addressed stability amidst a major corporate shuffle.

The prospective sale of Warner Bros Games by parent company AT&T has reportedly attracted an interested buyer in Microsoft Corp. News of the holding company considering selling its Warner Media gaming interests was first reported last month.

It's been a little over a decade since courts approved the sale of Midway Games and its catalogue to Warner Bros. Now a fresh report is claiming parent company AT&T is internally discussing the sale of the entire Warner Brothers gaming division. Read on for the full story:

Warner Brothers has announced a new digital production division today called Blue Ribbon Content.

According to The Hollywood Reporter; WB Animation veteran Sam Register will head the division, set to launch with a full slate of live-action content based on existing and original WB properties. Among the list is the already announced webseries Justice League: Gods And Montsers, a live-action version of Milestone Comics favourite Static Shock, and a new Mortal Kombat webseries to tie-in with the 2015 release of Mortal Kombat X!

Variety reports the new Mortal Kombat webseries is currently untitled -- making its relationship with established series Mortal Kombat: Legacy unclear. Like Mortal Kombat X - the 2015 shorts will split their focus between klassic and new characters.

The next generation in the Mortal Kombat franchise to be released in association with the upcoming “Mortal Kombat X” videogame, slated to bow April 14, 2015. Blue Ribbon Content and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are teaming on the series, which will showcase some of the franchise’s popular characters and introduce a new generation of fighters.

There are a select few certainties in this life. Rating highest among them are death, taxes and fighting game guest characters.

The success of Freddy Krueger [pictured top] and Scorpion have all but ensured NetherRealm Studios will always entertain the idea of a guest fighter in their games. Why wouldn't they? According to Creative Director Ed Boon -- both characters went on to be the highest selling downloadable content (DLC) for their respective games [Mortal Kombat & Injustice: Gods Among Us].

During his Gamespot Stage Demo appearance at this year's E3 -- Boon also made it known there would indeed be considerations for a new guest character in Mortal Kombat X. He ruled out a return for 2011 Sony exclusive Kratos (God of War) via Twitter. So. Who will it be?...

To users on Mortal Kombat Online he's known as Bleed: A long time contributor with a talent for developing characters in 3D models & 2D sprites [gallery].

To date; Gabriel "Bleed" Melendez has been noted as one of the driving forces behind a much discussed fan-made Mortal Kombat (1992) HD remake. His talents as a character artist have been exemplary, producing a professional level of content that has had fans salivating, and license owners justifiably concerned.

In the wake of Warner Brothers' intervention in "Mortal Kombat HD: Kommunity Edition" -- Melendez has become the voice of fate. A conduit through which a major corporation has made its presence known. When news of the shutdown spread, we talked to Bleed about what went down, and his general feelings about the project. You've read excerpts in the Saga of Mortal Kombat HD feature. Here is the unedited Q&A:

After 20 years as a successful franchise, its the sequel to the eponymous Mortal Kombat that many still regard with fondest memories. For fans who live and bleed Mortal Kombat, however, the tournament-centric original can never be completely forgotten. Such is the dedication of a focused group of industrious fans, who've applied themselves to independently designing and developing a playable revamp of the original dubbed: Mortal Kombat HD.

Determined by consensus; the objective of Mortal Kombat HD was to create a slavishly complete, high definition remake of the 1992 arcade classic. Built from the ground up, using popular 2D freeware engine MUGEN as a playable base and 3D models -- the project would be made of all original resources, designed to imitate the original as exactly as possible. Therein would lie the problem, however, leading to an effective shutdown of any intention to release a working product, rendered by Warner Brothers late last week.

While the enthusiasm of fans may lead them to desire otherwise, Warner Brothers' position represents an open and shut case. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it's also a self-evident example of copyright and trademark infringement. Exceptions may exist at the prerogative of intellectual property owners who choose to overlook infringements, but they are always within their rights to shut down unlicensed fan projects.

On the surface, this would appear to be an effective end to the MKHD fan game as it was intended. To release any playable version to the public would be to court personal ruin. No fan will play it. Much less clear, however, is the exact motivation for Warner Brothers' intervention. While there is broad intellectual property protection and brand management to consider -- there is an extensive history behind MKHD.