Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment has announced the onset of a third season of the Mortal Kombat XL Electronic Sports League, boasting a $500,000 total prize pool for players to contest in 2016.

Burbank, Calif. – March 30, 2016 – Coming on the heels of the second pro league finals, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced an expansion of Mortal Kombat X esports by launching a new competitive series in April that includes the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3 and the ESL Challenger Cup, as well as official sponsorships of local tournaments across North America and Europe. The total prize pool for the program is $500,000 USD and with new characters now available to play in the recently released Mortal Kombat XL, the time has never been better for fans across the globe to compete and win while enjoying the best selling fighting game from NetherRealm Studios.

“Mortal Kombat has always been about friends going head-to-head in ‘couch competition.’ With Mortal Kombat X, these players now have multiple ways of jumping into the tournament scene to prove their skills and win cash,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios and co-creator of Mortal Kombat. “This is the biggest commitment we’ve made to the esports scene and with our newly enhanced online experience, we’re looking forward to seeing the intense match-ups at the various tournaments we’re supporting.”

The third season of the ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League begins April 3 with the best players from around the world facing off for supremacy during an eight-week online season. Sixteen finalists across North America, Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and for the first time, Latin America, will convene June 12 in Burbank, Calif. for a live showdown in front of a studio audience. PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system players will be fighting to win a piece of the $200,000 USD prize pool, which will be distributed among the eight finalists, granting more players than ever a chance to earn a share of the prize.

The ESL Mortal Kombat X Challenger Cup kicks off April 2 and offers an all-new way for PlayStation®4 system and Xbox One gamers who are not competing in the ESL Pro League to battle online for cash and prizes. Open tournaments across North America, Europe, CIS and Latin America will be held weekly through the end of June, with monthly finals to be streamed live.

Additionally, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios will continue to support local tournaments across North America and Europe with sponsorships and contributions to prize pool funding.

Fans can continue to show their support for Mortal Kombat X esports by purchasing the Blue Steel Sub-Zero or recently released character skin via the PlayStation®Store or Xbox Marketplace. A portion of the proceeds goes towards supporting Mortal Kombat X tournament prize pools.

For more information on ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League Season 3and the ESL Mortal Kombat X Challenger Cup Series, please visit ProLeague.com/MKX. For the latest updates, follow Mortal Kombat on Facebook and Twitter.

Mortal Kombat X is NetherRealm Studios’ most recent installment in its legendary, critically acclaimed fighting game franchise that propels the iconic franchise into a new generation. The game combines a cinematic presentation with all new gameplay to deliver the most brutal Kombat experience ever, offering a new fully-connected experience that launches players into a persistent online contest where every fight matters in a global battle for supremacy. For the first time, Mortal Kombat X gives players the ability to choose from multiple variations of each character impacting both strategy and fighting style. Players step into an original story showcasing some of the game’s most prolific characters including Scorpion and Sub-Zero, while introducing new challengers that represent the forces of good and evil and tie the tale together.

The announcement was vaguely teased recently by Ed Boon, leading some fans to speculate updates to the abandoned ported version of Mortal Kombat X would be coming. Alas; $500,000 is not presently expected to be spent elsewhere amongst the fandom or player base.

The super-sized, all-in-one Mortal Kombat XL experience is officially out now! 2015's best selling fighting game gets the komplete edition treatment, jamming in all-new extras including Kombat Pack 2 fighters, Stage Fatalities, and Apocalypse Skins!

Mortal Kombat XL contains all downloadable content released, including bonus characters: Tremor, Tanya, Bo' Rai Cho, Tri-Borg, Predator, Alien, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface!

Those who've already purchased the extensive range of downloadable content for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can complete their XL experience with Kombat Pack 2 add-ons! Plus: The Pit arena and Medieval Skins are available as free bonuses!

All console players will also be privy to a brand new enhanced online experience using the modified GGPO system. Reviewing the beta preview, Mortal Kombat Online User TemperaryUsername says: "From the standpoint of a match, the upgraded netcode is near perfect. Combos are rarely affected by lag. Anti-airs can be performed on reaction. If I lost a match, it was because my opponent made better decisions than me. That's the way fighting games should work." Reacting to the initial improvements, redman noted: "It feels a LOT better. Unlike with the previous netcode when the match can feel delayed or "underwater", that doesn't happen with this. The inputs feel very solid, almost as good as offline."

Have you got Mortal Kombat XL? Register to have your say and share your thoughts on the Mortal Kombat X forum. Get hardcore and organize online play sessions by taking advantage of the Gameplay & Matchmaking forum!

Everyone playing Mortal Kombat X on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One can now gain access to the completely free downloadable Medieval Skin Pack!

The pack outfits MKX newcomers Kotal Kahn, Kung Jin and Ferra/Torr in rustic new designs inspired by the European Middle Ages! Kung Jin goes full archer in tunic, hood and leather, while Kotal Kahn armors up and Ferra muzzles the monster Torr with iron and cloth!

Excited about the free new look? Register to share your thoughts on the Mortal Kombat X forum!

British gaming has sadly lost one of its icons of the early nineties with the sudden passing of Fergus McGovern. A co-founder of Probe Software in 1984; McGovern was part of the team responsible for porting Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II to a variety of platforms, most notably the Sega Mega Drive.

Players of the Probe Sega ports and trivia hounds will remember McGovern from an exclusively added finishing move called a Fergality. The move, performed with Raiden, super-imposed McGovern's head over the opponent's sprite.

Gamesindustry.biz reports McGovern passed away suddenly over the weekend after a transatlantic flight, aged 50. The cause is believed to have stemmed from a cerebral blood clot. He is remembered fondly throughout the gaming industry and survived by his wife and three children.

Mike Tegan of Trickstar Games is but one of the many who've shared warm tributes, "Thanks for the great times in London-LA-Dublin and in Australia. Thanks for thumbing your nose at the establishment when needed. Thanks for always sticking up for the little guy and thank you for being my friend. My sincere condolences to Deanna, the kids and brother Kevin. RIP Mate!"

Probe was acquired by Acclaim Entertainment in 1995, continuing to develop games for home consoles, including Mortal Kombat II and Alien Trilogy for the Sony PlayStation. McGovern later co-founded mobile and toy developer Hotgen. On his early successes in the industry, McGovern is quoted, "To be honest, I achieved quite a lot when I was very young. We had seven Christmas number ones out of 10, and in 1995 I was given a lifetime achievement award. That's too young."

Leo took top honors for The Revenant this awards season and Johnny Cage is hopping mad those zombies in the Academy overlooked him again! Now you can take a page from the Cage, or just shunt him into best supporting role in the latest Mortal Kombat X Mobile free-to-play challenge!

Unlocking Undead Hunter Johnny Cage means answering five tiers of kombat for your consideration! Each tier consists of 12 battles, with the exception of the final 15-fight challenge! Tier 1 is a lightning round of all Bronze Kards, Tiers 2 & 3 promote you to Bronze & Silver kards. You'll need a group completely comprised of Martial Artists in your Tier 4 team, before Tier 5 demands the clarity of Kenshi to bring the Undead Hunter back from the jungle!

Mortal Kombat X Mobile is available to download free-to-play now from Apple Store, Google Play & Amazon Games! With the release of Kombat Pack 2 there are now added cross-platform unlocks to explore!

Are you tough enough to face down a once great hero? Register to share your exploits on the Mortal Kombat X forum! Support the kommunity by liking & sharing via @MK_Online, Facebook & YouTube!