The Mortal Kombat franchise is unquestionably one of those that has left the strongest mark on the history of fighting video games. Appearing in 1992 at Midway Games, the game would establish itself as a true turning point in the genre, directly rivaling Street Fighter II thanks to intuitive controls and digitized motion-captured graphics.
What brought Mortal Kombat to the forefront was its radical way of displaying graphic violence. It has evolved a lot since its beginnings: from the 3D of Mortal Kombat 4 to the narrative innovations of Deadly Alliance, up to the complete 2011 reboot that redefined an entire universe. With over 100 million games sold, Mortal Kombat has of course taken its place in the media landscape, from films and animated series to comics.
It is one of the best-selling fighting game franchises of all time, but also one of the most profitable, still carried by NetherRealm Studios under the aegis of Warner Bros.
Games in the Mortal Kombat franchise