In the video game industry, if you last 30 years, you’ve done something right. That means not only were you around for the earliest days of gaming, but you were also a franchise that continued to grow, evolve, and adapt to the times so that no one could keep you down. Believe it or not, only a few franchises in gaming have that honor. Today, another stepped forward to announce its place in that pantheon: Mortal Kombat. The game started as an arcade title that aimed to push the violence of fighting games to the next level. Its arrival brought a new era of gaming that resonates to this day. So now, the Mortal Kombat 30th Anniversary has begun.

The official Mortal Kombat channel was the one to drop the Mortal Kombat 30th Anniversary video, and in it, all manner of media from the franchise’s history is present. Including a clip from co-creator Ed Boon talking about the beginning of the franchise and how the arcade game spawned a variety of media. That was back in the 90s; fast forward to the 2020s, and things have only gotten more incredible. As you’ll see in the video below, the franchise has gone from an arcade title to console games, an animated series, and movies, to live-action adaptations across films and the internet, comics, and everything in between.

As a fan, it’s impressive how much Mortal Kombat has grown. Seeing the levels the franchise has reached is incredible, and we know more is on the way. After all, a sequel to the hit reboot movie is coming soon. What’s more, Mortal Kombat 11 was the best-selling game in the franchise, so getting a 12th mainline title is assured. However, Ed Boon has noted that right now, the team at NetherRealm is only concerned with celebrating the Mortal Kombat 30th Anniversary and not announcing a new game. Not yet, anyway. Plus, it’s been rumored that they’re working on another title right now that is not tied to the MK series. The rumor is that Injustice 3 might be announced soon.

It’s also important to state that while Mortal Kombat has been an incredible success, it’s not without its faults and flaws. At its initial peak, the games became not just repetitive but dumb and convoluted due to spinoffs. That’s why Mortal Kombat 9 rebooted the franchise and started a new timeline to turn things around. As for its other media, the original animated series is seen as one of the worst parts of the franchise, right alongside the live-action movie Mortal Kombat Annihilation.

But, the franchise bounced back, which is critical here. At the end of the video, we see NetherRealm Studios plugging the various entries in the franchise that you can play or watch right now. So if you’re a fan of the series, take some time to see how far everything has come.

Source: YouTube