Shang Tsung is back in the first Kombat Pack character reveal trailer! He's got a bigger bag of tricks than last time, harnessing the powers of some very interesting fighters throughout the trailer. The trailer also delivers confirmation of more characters and features coming to Mortal Kombat 11! Watch:

Cinema's Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa lends his likeness and voice to the character he portrayed in the now-classic movie. Although he enters the battlefield as the wisened sorcerer seen in an announcement render, his youth is soon restored for an updated MK3-style yellow pants homage. The klassics don't stop there, though!

NetherRealm has found a way to overcome the limitations of hardware, restoring Shang Tsung's klassic ability to morph into other characters! He becomes Raiden with a mid-fight soul steal that mirrors his opponent's attack, but the real surprise is his arsenal of shape-shifting special attacks. He turns into palette swaps of missing fighters Rain, Ermac, Smoke and Reptile to execute a range of familiar moves: roundhouse kicks, telekinetic slam, teleport, and slide kick! He even finishes the fight by rendering Sub-Zero and Scorpion slaves under his power, with an MKII referencing Kintaro morph to finish them!

Shang Tsung's return is replete with fun nods to the 1995 theatrical blockbuster. His intro quotes the dinner scene's promise of "a taste of things to come". Just like Liu Kang's fevered vision, Shang points directly at the player in victory, claiming your soul as his!

Other souls Shang Tsung may be claiming in the Kombat Pack are: Nightwolf, Sindel, Todd McFarlane's Spawn, and two additional unannounced guest characters who'll crossover from other series. A chainsaw buzz suggests Bruce Campbell got it wrong when he denied Ash Williams of the Evil Dead franchise won't be included. Music cues also support expectations of a Terminator crossover.

Fans hungry for more still can look forward to a Klassic Skin pack for pictured fighters Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Noob Saibot. Purchase of the Kombat Pack will get PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC players early access starting with Shang Tsung on June 18th, with subsequent releases in the following months. Shang Tsung will also be playable at the Warner Brothers booth during this year's E3, June 11th-13th.

Komplete Kombat Pack Details:
• Spawn will join the Mortal Kombat 11 roster as a new guest character, along with two other guest fighters to be confirmed at a later date
  • Todd McFarlane's Spawn is one of the world's best-selling and longest-running monthly comic books, with hundreds of millions of copies sold worldwide in more than 120 countries and 15 different languages. The Spawn comic book tells the story of Al Simmons, an elite government assassin who was betrayed and killed by the CIA. Instead of dying, he sells his soul to Hell for a second chance at life, and becomes Spawn, an unstoppable soldier fighting the underworld. Spawn is voiced by Keith David, the original voice actor from 'Todd McFarlane's Spawn,' the Emmy award-winning HBO animated series.
• Three Klassic Kombatants return as DLC characters: Shang Tsung, Nightwolf and Sindel
  • Shang Tsung is the soul-stealing sorcerer and historic host of the Mortal Kombat Tournament. Shang Tsung pledged his eternal loyalty to Shao Kahn in exchange for a dark power, but he is no faithful servant. He dreams of the day his sorcery will overtake Shao Kahn's, and he'll pay any price to get there. Actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is lending his voice and likeness to the popular character he portrayed in the classic 1995 'Mortal Kombat' film. Additionally, Shang Tsung will be available for consumers to play before release during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) from June 11-13 in the South Hall at the WB Games booth (#1023)
  • Nightwolf, formerly known as Grey Cloud, was chosen by the Great Spirit to become the Matoka's champion and protector. Grey Cloud proved worthy when he laid down his life to prevent the Black Dragon from plundering what remained of his tribe's sacred artifacts. As Nightwolf, Grey Cloud possesses extraordinary magic granted by the Great Spirit to fight for the Matoka's future and defend all of Earthrealm.
  • Sindel is the former Queen of Edenia and will stop at nothing to keep her place. Threatened with the loss of her throne when Shao Kahn conquered her realm, Sindel betrayed her husband, and her people, to keep her privileged position. Now, as Shao Kahn's wife and Queen of Outworld, she enjoys power and wealth beyond most people's imagination.
• Character skin and gear sets for each DLC character
• Bonus Johnny Cage Ninja Mime character skin and gear set
• 18 bonus character skins for existing Mortal Kombat 11 characters*
• One-week early access for all content listed above

What do you think of Shang Tsung's return? What are you most eagerly anticipating from the rest of the Kombat Pack? Head to the comments below to tell us what you think and join the discussion on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum!

If you noticed a brief outage at the start of the week - don't fear. Mortal Kombat 11 has undergone server maintenance and a raft of updates in the lastest hotfix patch. Read on for NetherRealm Studios' official details on all the changes you need to know:

Hello all,

Server maintenance is complete for all platforms. Below are the notes for today's Xbox and PS4 update. Thanks!

General Gameplay Adjustments

• Move list corrections
• Improvements to AI logic
• Fixed several rare online desync causes
• Fixed several Brutalities having incorrect requirements or issues with the description
• Kombat Kard Match Replays when being played in fast forward will no longer sometimes have visual issues
• The game’s version number is now displayed in the Tournament Mode Fighter Select screen
• Competitive Mode Variations are now always accessible in Practice Mode under Practice Options P1/P2 Variation as T-I & T-II.
• The camera will no longer sometimes improperly follow the characters briefly when a Delayed Getup is used after certain attacks
• Practice Mode will no longer become unresponsive when changing a character's variation while the AI Enemy Type was set to Record
• All Krushing Blows in Kombo Attack Strings that use the Throw / Front Punch+Front Kick input will now correctly allow either input to be used while Krushing Blow Held Check is on
• Fixed a rare issue when winning a round which could cause the character to visually turn around multiple times before playing their End of Round Taunt
• Slight adjustment to hit pause visuals when a character blocks an attack
• Adjusted throw vulnerable states to remove a 2 frame window when recovering from a block for regular throws and a 1 frame window for special move grabs
• Control no longer returns to the player while AI Fighter is active if the winning opponent performs a Mercy
• Fixed some high attacks and high throws not meeting the conditions for Uppercut Krushing Blows
• You can no longer get the wrong Skin to appear on Fighter Select’s Variation select UI with specific timing
• When playing on a guest account you can now enter Kustomize in the Main Menu
• Fixed some rare instances of audio quips playing at incorrect times
• Fixed several moves having an incorrect punish window which resulted in a kounter instead of punish
• Corrected some Flawless Block attacks having unintended frame data differences when used as a Getup Attack. The following were adjusted to make them function the same. Cassie (Up+Back Punch), Erron Black (Up+Front Kick), Kotal (Up+Back Punch & Up+Front Kick), Kung Lao (Up+Back Punch), Shao Kahn (Up+Back Punch)

Krypt:

• Kronika chests will no longer rarely spawn in an inaccessible location
• Fixed a visual issue with Descendant of Apep's belt
• Fixed rare issue that could result in the Elder God Puzzle becoming stuck in an unsolvable state
• Added a run button hint
• Special chests that cost 80,000 and 250,000 coins on initial opening will no longer have that price when refreshed
• The Descendant of Apep will no longer sometimes become stuck in the Torture Halls
• Fixed a bug that could cause The Armory Door to sometimes be closed
• Fixed some rare UI visual issues when a consumable timer runs out

Tutorial:

• Fixed several incorrect Demos in tutorial lessons
• Corrected various text issues in tutorial lessons
• Added additional tips to the Basic Tutorial
• Changed the character in the Kombo Limitations and Pressure Defense Lessons, making some tasks easier to perform
• Adjusted some player starting positions in the Grounded Neutral lesson
• Fixed an issue that could prevent progression in the Hit Confirming lesson if the player viewed the Demo at specific timing

Towers of Time:

• Players will no longer be removed from the Tower of Time portal if they expire while being played
• Fixed some modifiers’ visual effects appearing during Krushing Blow or Fatal Blow cinematics
• Fixed some modifiers having lingering effects in certain rare situations
• Changed input to exit the game during a Group Battle from Circle/B to Options/Menu
• Fatal Blow UI will no longer sometimes not update correctly during Group Battles
• Endurance Fights should now award Flawless Victory correctly

Stage Specific Adjustments:

• Cyber Lin Kuei Assembly - Fixed issue with Ice Bomb causing opponent to be grounded while visually in the air under certain circumstances
Character Specific Adjustments:
• Baraka - His Throw Krushing Blow requirements no longer sometimes reset after he escapes an opponent's throw
• Baraka - Landing a Back Throw Krushing Blow will no longer allow a Forward Throw Krushing Blow to be done without a failed Throw Escape

• Cassie Cage - Fatal Blow is no longer throw immune during some of its startup frames while still on the ground
• Cassie Cage - Flying Glow Kick now requires the correct button to be held when Krushing Blow held check is enabled

• Cetrion - Fixed Getup Attack/Flawless Block Attack Up+2 not being immune to air attacks/throws
• Cetrion - Getup Attack/Flawless Block Attack (Up+Front Kick) now has the correct visual effect indicating it is invincible
• Cetrion - Tendril Pull will no longer sometimes appear behind Cetrion in certain circumstances
• Cetrion - Rock objects are now properly handled when Cetrion is interrupted out of her throws
• Cetrion - Fixed unintended sound effects sometimes playing when Cetrion’s throws are escaped
• Cetrion - Throws that are escaped no longer count towards the requirement of Splitting Apart Brutality

• D'Vorah - Mother Bug will no longer sometimes changes back to default colors after it has died
• D'Vorah - Widow's Kiss when Amplified will no longer leave webbing on the opponent when it is interrupted with specific timing

• Erron Black - Corrected facial animation to opponent when they are hit by his Towards Throw
• Erron Black - Adjusted the long wait time after his Fatal Blow hits before both players get control of their characters. Frame data is unchanged.

• Frost - Getup Attack/Flawless Block Attack (Up+Back Punch) is now correctly immune to jumping attacks & throws, deals 5 damage (from 9) and plays the correct visual effect
• Frost - Getup Attack/Flawless Block Attack (Up+Front Kick) now plays the correct visual effect
• Frost - Cryogenic Crown will no longer sometimes go in the wrong direction after performing a cross-up jump attack
• Frost - Fatal Blow is no longer throw immune during some of its startup & active frames

• Geras - Gauntlet of the Ages will no longer retaining its charge level after hitting with Uppercut (Down+Back Punch) or Gauntlet of the Ages Krushing Blows
• Geras - Fixed a bug that could cause Body Buster (Towards Back Punch) to sometimes alter the opponents facing
• Geras - Fixed bug that allowed Geras to be able to block during some of the recovery frames of Reverse Time

• Jacqui Briggs - Winning a round with a direct impact hit with Grenade Launcher will no longer sometimes result in damage of time continuing into the next round
• Jacqui Briggs - Tech-Dome will no longer have lingering visual effects when it is interrupted before it activates
• Jacqui Briggs - Fixed some visual issues with Shield Battery Gear item when Jacqui loses a round in certain circumstances and after some Fatal Blows have connected

• Jade - Backward Throw can now award FIRST HIT PROPS!

• Jax - Heat Up mechanic will now work properly after a Mercy is performed
• Jax - Heat Missile will no longer auto correct when second heat missile is fired

• Johnny Cage - Fatal Blow is no longer throw immune during some of its startup frames
• Johnny Cage - Fatal Blow cinematic is no longer visually obstructed by certain foreground objects

• Kano - Getup Attack/Flawless Block Attack (Up+Back Punch) being able to cancel into Fatal Blow for a brief moment during startup
• Kano - Fixed issue with damage over time lingering into next round if last hit is done with Chemical Burn

• Kollector - Fixed (Air) Bag Bomb sometimes missing visual effects when it makes contact with the ground

• Kotal Kahn - Fatal Blow cinematic is no longer visually obstructed by certain foreground objects
• Kotal Kahn - Added controller vibration to damage inflicted by Tonatiuh Beam

• Kung Lao - Kung Lao is no longer able to exit the boundary of the arena while teleporting under certain circumstances

• Liu Kang - Dragon Parry is no longer throw immune during some of its recovery frames
• Liu Kang - Energy Parry while Dragon Fire is active will no longer caused a parry to trigger erroneously in rare circumstances
• Liu Kang - Energy Parry can no longer create multiple projectiles from one single successful parry while Dragon Fire is active
• Liu Kang - Fixed an issue with Bicycle Kick visual effects sometimes being misaligned

• Noob Saibot - The Shadow Clone can no longer become attached to the opponent when Shadow Tackle is interrupted during certain circumstances
• Noob Saibot - Fixed a visual issue with the Shadow Clone after the For The Brotherhood (Away+Front Punch, Throw, Back Punch) Krushing Blow cinematic

• Raiden - Lightning Bolt no longer auto corrects when amplified
• Raiden - Lightning Storm will no longer sometimes cause issues with the game camera after a practice reset

• Scorpion - Spine Ripper Brutality no longer takes priority over a successful throw escape

• Skarlet - Blood Tentacle is no longer throw immune during some of its startup & active frames

• Sonya Blade - K.A.T. Turret will no longer sometimes disappear when opponent is defeated by K.A.T. Tantrum

• Sub-Zero - Fixed a bug preventing an opponents from being able to Breakaway after being hit by Rising Ice
• Sub-Zero - Fixed rare issue that could cause Sub-Zero to become invisible after Frozen Over End of Round Taunt
• Sub-Zero - Fixed an issue with Slide Amplify visual effects sometimes being misaligned

• Shao Kahn - Fixed a bug preventing an opponents from being able to Breakaway after being hit by Shoulder Charger Amplify
• Shao Kahn - Fixed issue causing D1 and F3 to be set as low parry vulnerable instead of high parry vulnerable
• Shao Kahn - Fixed Fatal Blow cinematic being visually obstructed by certain foreground objects

• (Edit as of 1:00pm PST) Duplicates of Gear items that have been leveled up to Mortal or Mythic can no longer be awarded from Restocked Krypt Chests

Did this update address your concerns? Spawn new ones? Tell us what you think in the comments below and join the discussion on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum!

Popular comic book scribe Gail Simone has revealed she was working on a now abandoned Mortal Kombat project in 2018. She described the extensive research the project required in a Twitter chain, also teasing the ominous scope and conseqeuence the multi-series concept would have had!

Simone was working simultaneously on licensed comics for Mortal Kombat and My Little Pony, joking about a crossover between the disparate brands, while discussing the heavy research projects like these require for their intense followings.

Many comic book writers enter the field with existing practical knowledge of the vast shared universes at DC and Marvel Comics, but will sometimes have to consider how extra research will occupy their time. Simone's output in 2018 took a dip while she immersed herself in the minutiae of the two brands, dividing time between MLP days, and MK nights. A fan of Mortal Kombat's characters, she discovered "how truly extensive the mythology" is once diving in "with both feet".

Simone describes a twelve-issue Mortal Kombat maxi-series she would have written, with an extended role overseeing an additional three on-going series, with what seem to be ominous consequences! The writer declined to go into greater detail, alluding only to a 'sprawling' event that "would have changed a comic universe forever, for real".

So, the MLP was an episode of the series.

But the MK project was SPRAWLING. It was for comics, but it was not just a simple series, or even a crossover event. It was MASSIVE. 16/

— GAIL SIMONE is MY LITTLE SIMONEY (@GailSimone) May 26, 2019

I don't want to explain the whole thing, but it would have changed a comic universe forever, for real, and involved a huge 12 issue series and THREE ongoing series, which I would oversee. 17/

— GAIL SIMONE is MY LITTLE SIMONEY (@GailSimone) May 26, 2019

Although no clear context is provided, the reference seems to imply major consequences for an existing comic book universe beyond Mortal Kombat itself.

As a property owned by Warner Brothers since 2009; Mortal Kombat tie-ins have been published by DC Comics, who have a long history of incorporating new acquisitions into their larger DC Universe. It could be speculated the three additional on-going series Simone would have overseen may be in the wider existing DC lineup, indicating some kind of crossover, or more permanent incorporation. The publisher currently offers several series detailing alternate realities within the DC multiverse, including the world of the Injustice games made by NetherRealm Studios.

Shawn Kittelsen crossed over from working in video games as DC Entertainment Creative Executive to write the Mortal Kombat X tie-in series in 2015. His involvement has since expanded to include a writing credit for Injustice 2 and the Mortal Kombat 11 video game. Kittelsen made it known the new release would not have a follow-up DC Comics companion last December, suggesting the sprawling concept was scrapped by then.

Mortal Kombat fighters encountered a version of the DC Universe in a 2008 crossover video game. As of 2012 there have been no plans for a sequel, but Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Raiden have subsequently appeared as guest fighters in the Injustice series.

[Related Article: Feature: The Importance of Comics to Mortal Kombat]

What do you think the sprawling comics project would have entailed? What would you like it to have been? Share your thoughts to the Media & Merchandise forum with a reply below!

It's been just over a month since Mortal Kombat 11 was released around the world -- and the only confirmed character for the downloadable Kombat Pack has been Shang Tsung. That gap in knowledge may be about to fill, with Ed Boon teasing hopes for a reveal next week -- if all goes well.

Fingers Krossed.... if all goes well, next week we will be announcing the fighters that will be joining Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 11’s DLC !! pic.twitter.com/ewaRTZFUji

— Ed Boon (@noobde) May 27, 2019

Shang Tsung was announced with a rendered likeness of film star Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa back in late March. He'll be joined by five additional characters available to pre-purchase with the Kombat Pack, or Premium editions of Mortal Kombat 11. This is in addition to Shao Kahn, who was released separately in April as a downloadable pre-order incentive.

Boon's tweet seems to suggest we'll hear more about all five fighters coming to the Kombat Pack, assuming some unknown factor allows it. Why does the Creative Director of NetherRealm Studios need to cross his fingers for a reveal? Your guess is as good as ours!

Bruce Campbell recently denied involvement with Mortal Kombat 11, responding to rumors of an Evil Dead crossover appearance. Industrious Nintendo Switch players inspired theories with the reported discovery of DLC character directories. Spawn creator Todd McFarlane has said he thinks his character is in.

Who do you hope to see join the lineup with Shang Tsung? Join the discussion on the Mortal Kombat 11 forum below and tell us your top picks!

The first stop on the Mortal Kombat 11 Pro Kompetition tour is now in the books! Combo Breaker kicked off the 2019/2020 series in Chicago, with a mind blowing 800 players trying their luck over the three day weekend event!

Watch: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Scar emerged from a heated grand final to claim the first major title of 2019! He had to pilot his Sonya Blade to a 3-2 victory over evergreen contender SonicFox, whose Jacqui Briggs walked defiantly into a projectile in the final seconds of the final match.

The win completed a perfect undefeated streak for Scar, who exploded with elation as soon as victory was secured. "Finish him" had barely appeared on the screen when the winner jumped to his feet, joining an ecstatic crowd in celebration after walking off some of the energy on stage. The win secured a $15,000 prize purse, Pro Kompetition points, and bragging rights on Mortal Kombat's home turf of Chicago!

SonicFox had been forced to fight out of the Second Chance bracket having taken an earlier loss to Tweedy. The flawless 2-0 win proved the competitive power of Baraka, dominant over Fox's Jacqui Briggs and Erron Black! It was fitting that eventual winner Scar ended Tweedy's impressive effort, while SonicFox was working his way past DizzyTT, Deoxys, AF0xyGrampa, and Semiij in the revenant run. Fox took his eventual defeat on the chin via Twitter, looking to the future while acknowledging his past: "I TRIIIED!!! The curse lives on with never winning ComboBreaker in an NRS game ???????????? Ill be back stronger for CEO! Thanks for everyone’s support! Happy to lose to one of my training partnere @khscar12 !"

You can relive all three days of competition by watching in the embedded video above. Day 3 features the action and biggest battles from the finals. Or just glance below to see who made-up the first Top 16 for the year!

CEO is the next stop on the North American tour, taking place June 28th-30th in sunny Daytona Beach, Florida. Registration is now open. June 8th will also see the Pro Kompetition host an online event. Will you be attending? We'd love to hear about your competitive journey! Join the discussions on the Gameplay & Matchmaking and Mortal Kombat 11 forums! Learn more about what's in store in the Pro Kompetition Announcement.