Recent talk of downloadable arenas for Mortal Kombat X could be yielding the first results come July. NetherRealm Studios have teased upcoming crossover character Predator with what appears to be a partial screenshot of a new environment.

If taken at face value, the screenshot seems to suggest an interior stage based on the Predator alien's spaceship - where trophies of past conquests can be seen. The Predator species are all about big game hunting - and there's no bigger game than Mortal Kombat X!

If it is a new fighting arena, it will be the first addition since the game's April release. A previously released screenshot shows The Predator's trademark heat vision, which leaves the door open for the spaceship to play a role in a cinematic X-Ray attack, or fight intro sequence.

Previous crossover character Jason Voorhees was released in May. The notorious Crystal Lake killer did not come with any arenas. Mortal Kombat X is noteworthy for featuring only thirteen fighting locales - nearly half as many as the last game.

[Related Article: MKX DLC: The Predator & Carl Weathers Koming July]

Think you know what The Predator's plans are? Register to share your thoughts on the Mortal Kombat X forum! Debate the alien's potential powers against klassic kombatants in the Fan Koliseum!

Tuesday saw the official launch of Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment's Batman: Arkham Knight - the much anticipated final chapter for developer Rocksteady Studio's hugely successful Bat-game revamp. Wishing the game makers well were their counterparts at NetherRealm Studios, who paid congratulatory tribute with a bat-insignia clad Scorpion.

"Even Scorpion wants to be Batman!
Congrats to Rocksteady Games on the release of Batman: Arkham Knight!"

We can only assume it was a slightly less delicious congratulations than the rice krispie, decapitated head cake sent by Rocksteady to mark NetherRealm's April launch of Mortal Kombat X. We did not receive comment about a reciprocal cake at the time of this writing.

The visual crossover is a moment of levity for the beleaguered Batman franchise - forced to suspend PC sales amid crippling problems for ports. It's a problem Mortal Kombat X can relate to. A troubled launch marred the 2015 fighter in its first month, with latest rumors suggesting Chicago based studio High Voltage Software have been removed from the project.

NetherRealm Studios collaborated with Rocksteady Games on past Arkham games, notably entering the mobile development space with Batman: Arkham City Lockdown. They contributed to completion of Batman: Arkham City, later featuring the characters in a skin pack for Injustice: Gods Among Us. Scorpion has continued to battle Batman in video game form after the 2008 crossover Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe, appearing as a guest character in Injustice, and Injustice Mobile.

[Related Article: Editorial: The MKvsDC Crossover Nobody Sees Coming]

Scorpion and the other Kombatants have been doing an awful lot of cosplay of late. Recent dress-up variations have included: Samurai, Monsters, Soccer Fans, Offbrand Red Sons and Predator Fans. Creative Director Ed Boon eliminated the possibility of DC crossover characters for Mortal Kombat X, last July. No change has been announced.

A fan of Arkham Knight and the DC Universe? Register to discuss all things Batman and more in the DC Universe Injustice forum! Crossover to talk Scorpion in the Mortal Kombat X forum!

Mortal Kombat X introduced its first guest character in May with the downloadable addition of horror slasher icon Jason Voorhees. This July, one of action/sci-fi cinema's heavyweight warriors will also step into the fight with the arrival of The Predator! Get a taste of things to come with the first screenshots of the coming Predator/Prey Pack:

The Predator was first confirmed in March, debuting in the trailer for The Kombat Pack.

Mortal Kombat X Creative Director Ed Boon shared the first screenshot [top], including Predator film star Carl Weathers as a bonus skin included for Jax. Weathers starred in the original 1987 film as CIA Agent George Dillon: responsible for gathering and overseeing a mercenary team fronted by Arnold Schwazenegger's Delta Force Major. Their covert mission becomes a fight for survival when the alien predator begins hunting the team through the dense growth of the fictional Val Verde jungle.

The Predator is remembered for its unique arsenal of advanced technology and weaponry. From a mysterious warrior culture, it employs heat vision and invisibility cloaking - as demonstrated in-game by another Mortal Kombat X screenshot, last April. Fans may have gotten an even earlier glimpse of the alien warrior's yet-to-be-revealed weaponry in a stick figure storyboard.

[Related Article: Mortal Kombat X DLC: Is Jean-Claude Van Damme Next?]

Players who've purchased the Kombat Pack will get first access to The Predator and accompanying skins: Carl Weathers as Jax, Infrared Scorpion & Commando Johnny Cage. Register to discuss DLC and more in the Mortal Kombat X forum. Pit The Predator against Kombatants in fantasy fight debates in the Fan Koliseum!

Mass character fixes have hit Mortal Kombat X in the latest patch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The super-sized update is also believed to contain multiple new secret Brutalities. Check out the official patch notes:

General Gameplay Fixes:
• You can now turn off auto saving of Match Replays in game play options (this is defaulted OFF you will need to turn these ON after getting this patch if desired)
• Improvement to PlayStation®3 system generic driver support (The user can now turn off the DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller after pairing a compatible fightstick to the console. The DUALSHOCK®4 wireless controller can only be turned off AFTER pairing the fightstick.)
• User now can leave a KOTH session as king without taking a loss
• There are new secret brutalities to discover!

Character Specific Fixes:
D'Vorah
• Reduced the cancel advantage after Pterothorax combo (Towards + FP, FP, BP) by 2
• (Swarm Queen) - must be in the Bug Bomb held loop for 3 frames before you can dash cancel out of it

Cassie Cage
• Single Shot is +2 on hit (up from -9)

Ermac
• Adjusted hitbox on Soul Burst & Soul Burst to make it harder to low profile
• Increased Soul Burst damage by 4
• Increased Soul Blast damage by 10

Erron Black
• Increased the cancel advantage of Down + FK by 3 (no longer connects into Tackle on hit)

Ferra/Torr
• Increased damage on Grab 'n' Stab by 3
• Increased damage on Deep Stab by 4

Goro
• Increased hit advantage on Shokan Grab & Shokan Slam to 28 (up from 8)
• (Kuatan Warrior) - increased hit advantage on Chest Lunge to 20 (up from 5)
• (Kuatan Warrior) - increased hit advantage on Chest Charge to 23 (up from 5)
• (Dragon Fangs) - increased hit advantage on Shokan Stabs to 22 (up from 7)
• (Dragon Fangs) - increased hit advantage on Shokan Massacre to 23 (up from 5)
• (Tigrar Fury) - decreased combo damage scaling after Ground Scorch

Jacqui Briggs
• Stanky Leg (BK ~up BK) is now listed in the movelist

Jason Voorhees
• Increased the hitbox on Back Breaker, Spine Shatter, Choke, Choke Slam, Tight Squeeze, & Crippler to make it harder to low profile
• (Relentless) - reduced the recovery frames on Dark Pursuit (enhanced) to 54 (down from 106)

Jax
• Opponent can no longer techroll after X-ray

Johnny Cage
• (Fisticuffs) – Away + FP now has 10 startup frames (up from 9)
• (Fisticuffs) - all Speed Bag hits are now always -3 on block instead of every 4th one being 0

Kano
• Black Dragon Ball (enhanced) damage increased by 4
• Uprise Ball (enhanced) damage increased by 3 and is now -5 on block (down from -27)
• (Commando) – Choke & Strangle are now -4 on block (down from -14)

Kenshi
• Down + BK can no longer be high parried
• It is now easier to juggle combo after Sword Dance
• Several moves were not combo damage scaling correctly on hit
• (Possessed) - Sickle Lift reaction is now consistent (no longer more or less hit advantage depending on height)
• (Kenjutsu) - removed armor from Tele-Strike

Kitana
• Now pokes out with a fan in Punishing Poke (Down + FP)
• Rising Blades can now be special move 2in1’d out of on hit
• 2nd fan in enhanced Fan Toss is now a mid block
• Back Slash (Towards + FP) is now -9 on block (down from -34) +5 on hit (up from -20) and has 25 less recovery frames
• Learn Respect combo (Towards + FP, FP) is now -2 on block (down from -1FP) +6 on hit (up from -3) and has 9 less recovery frames
• Fake Out combo (BP, FP) is now +2 on block (down from -12)
• Increased damage on Fan-Tastic combo (BP, FP, BP) by 4 and is now -3 on block (down from -10)
• Fan Swipe (Towards + BP) is now -6 on block (down from -18) +8 on hit (up from -14) and has 12 less recovery frames
• Gut Gash combo (Towards + BP, BP) -6 on block (down from -17) and has 9 less recovery frames
• Increased combo damage scaling after Rightful Heir combo (Towards + BK, FK)
• (Royal Storm) - Square Boost & Square Wave are now a hard knockdown
• (Assassin) - reduced meter gain from parry
• (Assassin) - Princess Parry startup is now 7 (down from 18)
• (Mournful) - easier to juggle combo after Air Glaive Throw and Air Glaive Return
• (Mournful) - Shadow Kick & Eclipse Kick startup is 12 (down from 14)

Kotal Kahn
• Towards + FK can no longer be high parried
• (Sun God) - improved hitbox on Sun God Choke

Kung Jin
• (Ancestral) - now goes into a ducking state during Low Shot

Kung Lao
• No longer gains a bar of meter when doing a wakeup Hat Toss or Teleport
• (Tempest) - Hat Spin & Orbiting Hat now correctly combo damage scale on hit
• EX teleport throw damage fixed
• (Hat Trick) - Hat Call Back is now a mid block
• (Hat Trick) - Hat Call Back of a Low Hat Trap is now a low block
• (Hat Trick) - slightly easier to juggle combo after Hat Call Back
• (Hat Trick) - reduced High Hat Trap recovery by 25 frames
• (Hat Trick) - reduced Hat Trap & Low Hat Trap recovery by 15 frames

Liu Kang
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• 3 more active frames on down BP
• Now goes into a ducking state during low fireballs
• (Flame Fist) - Windmill Punch & Windmill Flurry can now be 2in1 special cancelled on block/hit
• (Flame Fist) - Shaolin Flame can now be 2in1 special cancelled out of
• (Dualist) - Low Soul Sphere is now a low block

Mileena
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• Low Slash (down FP) no longer pushes opponents away before the active frames
• Increased hit advantage on Rider combo (Away + BP, BP, throw) to 25 (up from -7)
• (Piercing) - now goes into a ducking state during Low Sai
• (Ravenous) - increased hit advantage on grab specials
• (Ravenous) - doing the Quick Taste combo (Away + FP, BP, throw) will now heal her a small amount as she bites
• (Ethereal) - Reduced the recovery on Vanish Away & Vanish Towards. Also allows for combos to continue afterwards.

Quan Chi
• Opponent can no longer techroll after x-ray
• (Warlock) - victim is no longer throw immune after being hit by Portal Stab

Raiden
• Supernatural combo (Away + FK, BK) can now be 2in1 cancelled out of
• Reduced the hitbox of Electric Fly & Thunder Fly
• (Thunder God) - slightly less chip damage on charged normal
• (Master of Storms/Displacer) - now has a God's Rage combo (Towards + FP, BP, Away + BP)

Reptile
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• Can no longer repeatedly stack the damage nullification from Stealth & Invisibility
• Slithering Slaps (Away + BP) increased damage by 2
• Increased damage of Slink combo (FP, BP, FP) by 4
• Increased damage on Deadly Venom combo (FP, BK) by 4
• Decreased damage of Dragon Kick (FK) by 2
• Increased damage of Shedding Skin combo (FK, BK, Down + BK) by 2
• Increased hit/cancel advantage on Sneaky Snake combo (Away + FP, Down + BK) by 20
• Increased damage Toxic combo (Towards + FK, Away + BK) by 2
• Low Heel (Down + FK) now has 7 startup frames (down from 9) and is -3 on block (up from -2)

Scorpion
• Eternal Vengeance combo (BP, FP, BK) has 4 less cancel advantage and no longer resets the block stun when it's 2in1 cancelled out of
• (Hellfire) - Flame Aura / Burner can no longer be done more than once in the same combo
• (Ninjutsu) - increased damage on Affliction combo (Away + FP, BP, FP) by 2
• (Ninjutsu) - increased damage on Doom Slice (Away + BP) by 4
• (Ninjutsu) - increased damage on Doom Blade (Towards + BP) by 4
• (Ninjutsu) - increased damage on Dead End combo (BP, FP, BP) by 2
• (Ninjutsu) – Downfall (Away + BK) now hits twice
• (Ninjutsu) - increased damage on Cataclysm combo (Towards + BK, BP) by 4

Shinnok
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• (Necromancer) - adjusted tracking of Devil's Flick, Devil's Backhand, Summoned Fiend, & Summoned Slam
• (Necromancer) - increased damage on Judgment Fist & Judgment Smash by 3
• (Necromancer) - Devil's Flick is no -8 on block (up from -4)
• (Bone Shaper) - Dark Beam is now a high block and +8 on hit (up from -14)
• (Bone Shaper) - opponent can no longer techroll after Scepter Slam
• (Bone Shaper) - Deity combo (Towards + BP, BP, throw) can now be 2in1 cancelled on hit

Sonya Blade
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• Added 5 more recovery frames on Air Drop when missed
• Energy Blast is a mid block and -5 on block (up from -15)
• Increased damage of Flying Kick (enhanced) by 4
• Increased damage of Leg Slam by 5
• (Covert Ops) - Garrote Parry is no longer throw immune
• (Demolition) - increased cancel advantage on Boomer combo (FP, FP, BP)
• (Demolition) - adjusted the damage & hit stun of the grenade attacks

Takahashi Takeda
• (Shirai Ryu) – the last hit of Air Spear & Spear Ryu will now combo damage scale correctly
• (Lasher) - Whip Thrash & Whip Strike now hits on both sides

Tanya
• Last hit of throw will now combo damage scale correctly
• Adjusted several hitboxes to hit more consistently
• Can't attack for 10 frames after a blocked Quick Teleport
• Removed armor from Quick Teleport
• (Kobu Jutsu) - Back Stab combo (Away + FP, BP + BK, throw) can no longer be punished on hit
• (Kobu Jutsu) - 2nd and 3rd hits of Tonfa Swipe will have less block recovery frames the longer you delay the previous attack
• Tanya (Pyromancer) – slightly increased pushback on blocked fireballs

Register to share your thoughts on the Mortal Kombat X forum. Skip straight to mechanics and issue online challenges in the dedicated Gameplay & Matchmaking forum. Support the community by getting involved and liking & sharing via @MK_Online & Facebook.

Fans who've completed the first Mortal Kombat X Mobile Challenge will have unlocked the latest Gold Kard character: Raiden! The Thunder God offers unique support stats to bolster any kombat trio. Learn how to best exploit these abilities in this very useful breakdown tutorial:

Raiden's special moves make the leap to the mobile platform, adapted to unleash electrifying attacks as a "glass cannon" attack and support character. There's still time to complete the challenge. Download Mortal Kombat X Mobile for free via Google Play and the iTunes App Store.

Got Raiden? Register to share your MKX Mobile konquests on the Mortal Kombat X forum. Carry the site with you by liking & sharing via @MK_Online, Facebook & YouTube. Support the Thunder God in the 2015 Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion tournament!