The clock is ticking towards the next Mortal Kombat and if time wasn't already on our minds -- it certainly is after a freshly dropped teaser trailer. The numbers don't quite add up, but they could be telling us a whole lot. Watch the video now:

The significance of the ticking clock beginning at 9 might not seem immediately apparent, but as it passes 10 and begins to oscillate rapidly at 11 -- it becomes all too clear that the Mortal Kombat timeline begun with the ninth game, and most recently disrupted in Mortal Kombat 11, is on the developer's minds.

The minute hand accelerates straight back to 1, and in a year marking the 30th Anniversary of the original Mortal Kombat -- that number takes on some heavy signifcance! This could be a sign of new beginnings, or perhaps a teaser for an imminent release date.

Last year series co-creator and Chief Creative Officer Ed Boon teased that NetherRealm Studios' next game would make sense, and the developer has recently been celebrating the series' milestone, but how literally the return to 1 should be taken from the teaser trailer remains to be seen.

There have been multiple noteworthy attempts to remaster the first MK, and in 2020 a mysterious Mortal Kombat Kollection Online was rated by the Pan European Game Information standards board, fuelling speculation that the oft aborted project might find its way to publication.

Retrospection has clearly been a feature of the 30th Anniversary year, but before we place too much expectation on a revisitation of the 1992 original, we should also remember that Ed Boon has been discussing the 3D era begun with Deadly Alliance, and described cult favourite Tremor as very likely to return.

Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath left players with questions about the state of the MK timeline as Fire God Liu Kang visited the legendary Great Kung Lao hundreds of years in the past, and Shang Tsung threatened further conquests. There is also the existence of Mortal Kombat: Onslaught to consider -- a story driven mobile game coming soon.

[Related Article: John Tobias Details Mortal Kombat Champions Timeline]

Ed Boon may have also mysteriously teased to various other characters from throughout the MK series history. All that's certain is that we will see the next game this year! So what do you think the trailer means? Share your theories in the comments below and keep the discussion brewing in the Future MK forum!