Next month will mark thirty years of Mortal Kombat and it looks as if the apocalyptic collapse of society won't stop its legend continuing -- at least according to The Last of Us Part 1. An MK "easter egg" has found its way into the recently released remake. Take a look:

Eagle-eyed fan account Naughty Dog Central called attention to the reference in a recent Twitter post, showing a Mortal Kombat II poster added to a scene from the 2013 Left Behind downloadable content. The addition fills out the world of the remake, but some are seeing more than verisimilitude. Inspect the image below for the subtle addition:

With a void of news concerning an expected Mortal Kombat game, and lingering uncertainty surrounding the WarnerMedia Discovery merger; some fans have taken to theorizing the reference indicates a more meaningful relationship developing between NetherRealm Studios, and the Last of Us publisher & developers.

Mortal Kombat was reportedly considered for sale in September of 2020, but became an emerging multimedia asset through the success of the film on HBO Max. The streaming platform has undergone highly publicized content changes since the formation of WarnerDiscovery, but there have been no new reports of sale to date.

The pop culture significance of Mortal Kombat has seen it appear in many contexts, including an MK11 easter egg in Cyberpunk 2077, characters in Ready Player One, and the thoughts of other developers. The franchise will return to animation soon: watch the Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind trailer.

[Related Article: MultiVersus Director Asks Fans For Mortal Kombat Characters]

What do you think about the MKII poster appearing in The Last of Us? Share your thoughts in the comments below and dive deeper into retro in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum!

Six months into development Mortal Kombat only had six playable fighters, but from necessity came the invention of Sonya Blade. Series co-creator Ed Boon continues his series taking us behind the scenes of iconic creations in anticipation of the game's 30th Anniversary! Watch the classic footage:

This time the nostalgia trip goes deeper into the context of Sonya's creation, showing us the alternate character select screen that was sorely missing a feminine touch during April 10, 1992 arcade tests. Actress and fitness instructor Elizabeth Malecki was tapped to punch, kick, and leg grab as the seventh iconic kombatant, effortlessly acting out components for her iconic special move in the footage.

Malecki is coached by Ed Boon to perform two handstands for what would eventually be turned into a hard hitting leg grab slam. He recounts to Twitter the "RUSH" of seeing the move recreated for the 1995 feature film, having felt the need to reassure Malecki that the act was "going to turn out cool" in its inception.

The co-creator also outlines the journey from "Curtis Stryker" to Lieutenant Sonya Blade, sharing collaborator John Tobias' original design sketches and outlines for a Special Forces fighter in black & yellow Bruce Lee inspired attire. Ideas later manifesting as Jax and Stryker in subsequent sequels.

What are your memories of using Sonya and her iconic leg grab? Share your thoughts in the comments below and dig deeper into the past in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum! Also find behind-the-scenes features on Scorpion's Spear, Sub-Zero's Stance, and Raiden's Teleport!

In 1996 the fruits of three landmark arcade fighting games were consolidated into a single orgy of violence called Mortal Kombat Trilogy. This compilation klassic featured the fighters and arenas of three previous game and now rises like a restless spectre to be played once again thanks to Good Old Games! Read on for details:

GOG.com specializes in DRM-free classic PC games, maintaining availability of everything from the first MK to Mortal Kombat 4. Now they're launching this curio from the end of the 2D era with a 10% discount off the usual price of $9.99. The game is available for purchase & download today via the GOG website.

Like all good old games you can play this one without a persistent online connection, but do note: multiplayer is available via TCP/IP LAN. The game is a 228MB download. Read on for system specs.

System Requirements:
System: Windows 7/8/10 Processor: 1.8 GHz Memory: 512MB RAM Graphics: 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7 (compatible with DirectX 9 recommended) Storage: 2 GB Other: Integrated graphics cards are not supported

Mortal Kombat Trilogy is fondly remembered for building on MK3 with the return of Scorpion, Kitana and more from UMK3; fighters from the first MK and MKII; the first instantly playable appearances of MK's legendary bosses; and the addition of cult favourites like Ermac and Rain. It arrives as the series nears its 30th Anniversary!

What are your fond memories of MK Trilogy? Is this your first exposure to the legendary all-in klassic? Share your thoughts in the comments below and go deeper into retro in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum!

The players returned to Las Vegas after a two year pandemic break, gathering crowds anew for this year's Evo World Championship in Mandalay Bay! The tournament brought a fresh crop of combatants from around the globe, delivering new names to the top of the Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate tower!

Players from the three regions represented in last year's Online Evo World Championship met in a live double-elimination bracket, with the nation of Chile producing two of Earthrealm's top three finalists! ScorpionProcs emerged as the new Evo World Champion, relying on the speed & guile of Kabal, and his own composure to secure an impressive victory at just age 17! Watch the Grand Final below:

The champ was able to fend off experienced Kotal Kahn player Rewind in the Grand Final, who improved on his 2019 Top 10 finish by fending off ScorpionProc's T7G teammate and countryman Nicolas in the loser's bracket. Nicolas finished third with the distinction of defeat 2019 Champion and MK powerhouse SonicFox, who was eliminated in the second-chance by UK veteran A F0xy Grampa! EventHubs report the Top 25 as follows:

Evo World Championship Top 25 Finalists:

The Latin American scene finished strong with Brazil's KillerXinok also in the Top 8. Could this be the dawning of a new age of kombat? Share your hot takes from this year's Evo in the comments below and discuss more in the Mortal Kombat 11 forum. Or begin sharpening your skills by joining the league of its own that is Fight Klub!

Today our partners over at The Realm Kast are premiering their latest episode with a very special guest!

Hosts FANTiM & Yani sit down with Diamond Select Toys to discuss their statues and figures, the process behind making them, and how licensing works in the toy world! In the episode they take a deep dive into all of the important details on how specific characters and designs are chosen for figure lines and specifically ones for the Mortal Kombat franchise.

More information about Diamond Select Toys:

Diamond Select Toys (or “DST”) was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comic Distributors, as a manufacturer of toys and collectibles for kids and adults of all ages. With the acquisition of Art Asylum in 2007 and Gentle Giant Ltd. in 2019, their broad range of products, licenses and talent has earned them the motto “The Best of All Worlds,” and made them one of the top suppliers to the specialty comic market.

Diamond Select toys are known for working with 2-D and 3-D artists from around the world, DST develops items in a diverse array of product categories, including Select action figures, Minimates mini-figures, electronic vehicles, vinyl banks, resin busts and statues, kitchenware and prop replicas. Their licenses are equally diverse, acquired through partnerships with Disney, Universal, Sony, CBS, Fox, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Marvel Comics, Toho and more.

In addition to this episode premiere we are excited to announce we are giving away exclusively to our Realm Kast listeners an electrifyingly awesome Mortal Kombat figure, provided to us by Diamond Select Toys, of Raiden the Protector of Earthrealm and everyone's favourite God of Thunder!

This figurine is based on his original appearance in Mortal Kombat from 1992 and features Raiden using his signature lighting abilities. Made of PVC, the diorama is 10 inches (15.24cm) and has detailed sculpting and paint applications. The Raiden figurine comes in a full-colour window box and is a non-articulated (static) diorama of Raiden designed by Nelson Asencio and sculpted by Salvador Gomes.

To find out more information on how to enter for your the chance to win in this giveaway, visit our episode page here where we outline all of our multiple methods of entry!

Get applying, best of luck, and thank you for supporting the Realm Kast!