While many publishers and developers have already blown the lid off their forthcoming E3 announcements, confirming the existence of a rumored or previously unknown games ahead of next month's huge event, others are still in what we like to call the "teasing" phase. Well aware of their E3 2014 plans, these companies and individuals are merely playing coy with fans by appropriately building anticipation without giving too much away.
NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon, for example, has been teasing the announcement of a new Mortal Kombat game, presumably Mortal Kombat 10, for almost a month now but has yet to say anything official. And just today, a mysterious poster that appears to be connected to the Mortal Kombat franchise appeared, and again Boon used it as an opportunity to tease gamers.
The poster in question can be seen in full below, but it should be viewed as unofficial for the time being. It's true that Ed Boon incorporated the poster's dragon logo and "Who's Next?" quote into his Twitter profile, but he could just be messing with us.
So, what exactly are we looking at? Well, the poster appears to be an image of a damaged spine with the previously mentioned text and logo emblazoned on the bottom. The use of the spine is particularly interesting, as it calls back to the X-Ray moves in Mortal Kombat 9 wherein the action would zoom in on an opponent's bones as they were shattered by devastating blows. Clearly, if nothing else, the poster is Mortal Kombat inspired, even if it isn't directly associated with a future franchise iteration.
What's most strange about the text and logo in particular is the angle of the lettering, which seems to clash with the orientation of the poster itself. That could be due to the angle from which the picture was taken, but something still seems off. Maybe there's an easy explanation, but for now it's hard to see the poster as legitimate.
Still, the fact that Boon has adopted the logo into his Twitter profile, combined with his previous teasing of a MK follow-up, should catch fans attention. After struggling to find an audience after the first few Mortal Kombat titles, the franchise found new life with MK 9. That game also established a new formula for fighting games moving forward, which NetherRealm successfully used in Injustice: Gods Among Us. In other words, we don't expect that NetherRealm, despite what Boon might have said about taking a break from the series, is willing to let Mortal Kombat ride off into the sunset at such a high point in its history.
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until June 2nd to determine what truth there is, if any, to the Mortal Kombat rumors. If tradition holds, though, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm will make an announcement prior to the E3 festivities, followed by a hands-off or hands-on demo at the all-important event. We'll keep you posted.
Do you expect a Mortal Kombat 10 announcement at or before E3 2014? What are your hopes for a follow-up to MK 9?
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