The new Mortal Kombat is out now in theatres & video on demand on HBO Max and the streaming service is celebrating the release with cake! It's gratuitous cross-promotion in the best possible taste as Nerdy Nummies feasts upon your fandom with an MK decorated cake. Watch and learn:

Watch: Mortal Kombat Cake Design | Black Widow Red Velvet Cake

HBO Max's Baketopia host Rosanna Pansino and judge & cake artist Timbo Sullivan are cooking up a red velvet dragon cake fans can sink their teeth into by following a previous recipe. The cake design is the Mortal Kombat main event and takes inspiration from the original & iconic Dragon Logo and its textured Mortal Kombat 2011 reinvention.

Mortal Kombat Cake Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 ¼ cups sour cream
• 5 ounces butter, unsalted
• 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 teaspoons red food coloring

The cake making duo amusingly discuss the quirks of the new feature film and its dragon-shaped birthmarks -- inspiration for the more game-authentic dragon logo cake. You can find out more about that by watching the red band trailer and reading MK Online's spoiler-filled review! If that's not sweet enough for you, flash back to Cakewatch 2015 and check out the deadly dessert that celebrated Mortal Kombat X!

Mortal Kombat is available now to watch in theatres and streaming in the United States until May 23rd. The movie is the most viewed HBO Max programming and once you've seen it - you can look for Baketopia! Find and discuss more topics from the movie in the Media & Merchandise forum!

The new Mortal Kombat movie may not feature the martial arts tournament the series is famous for -- but it does pay homage to its ancient traditions. Series co-creator and original scribe John Tobias has been setting the record straight on various social media topics, and he's graced us with an original timeline for the Mortal Kombat tournament and its famous winners!

The first Mortal Kombat video game lauded iconic Shokan sub-boss Goro as the undefeated champion for five-hundred years! Far from any garden variety loser: it was his success that put Earthrealm in the precarious position of nine defeats in the ancient tournament. Borrowing the pro wrestling parlance used by fans, John Tobias makes it clear Goro 'was no jobber'!

Thanks to opening attract screen text that described Goro's dominant reign, we've always known he claimed the title by defeating a revered Shaolin monk known as "Great" Kung Lao -- but who did the legendary hero beat to become champion?

An official comic book written and drawn by John Tobias told us it was Shang Tsung all along, and in a series of tweets he lays out a timeline of tournaments that occurred roughly every fifty years over the course of a millennium. That spaces each contest out a bit farther than the average standard generation of 20-30 years, but he notes the timeline, similar to what they conceived during development of the original game, is a "paper napkin approximation" subject to the specific dates of a story, such as the 1992 of the original game's Liu Kang victory.

• 1000 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1050 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1100 -- Unspecified Winner representing Outworld
• 1150 -- Shang Tsung representing Earthrealm
• 1200 -- Shang Tsung representing Outworld
• 1250 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1300 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1350 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1400 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1450 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1500 -- Great Kung Lao representing Earthrealm
• 1550 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1600 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1650 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1700 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1750 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1800 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1850 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1900 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• 1950 -- Prince Goro representing Outworld
• [1992] -- Liu Kang representing Earthrealm

Tournament lineage became a topic of fascination last year when Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath sent Liu Kang to the ancient past of Great Kung Lao with a plan to rewrite history using the powers he claimed as Fire God and Keeper of Time. He also appeared in Liu Kang's arcade ending. Tobias acknowledges his original conception for the sequence events may no longer apply in the new canon.

The bald fighter can be seen defeating what looks like Shang Tsung in a mural in the recent feature film. He also defeated the sorcerer during live-action series Mortal Kombat: Conquest, which featured his tournament victory in the first episode. Great Kung Lao was also depicted in the original John Tobias collector's comics, licensed adaptations by Malibu Comics, and the Mortal Kombat II arcade ending of his descendent and namesake: Kung Lao

It would seem the next Shaolin tournament is still a few decades away, but fans will be able to decide a champion for 2021 when the 10th Annual Supreme Mortal Kombat Champion voting tournament gets under way very soon in the MK Online Fan Koliseum! You can also discuss more classic canon in the 2D Kombat Klassics forum and catch-up with the movie in the Media & Merchandise forum!

NetherRealm Studios has announced it will no longer allow games to be utilized by eSports organizer WePlay after a single season of Mortal Kombat 11 competition in the "Ultimate Fight League". The announcement was made amidst controversies surrounding the fledgling, cash rich tournament organizer. Read on for details:

The developer posted a statement to Twitter yesterday citing a commitment to serving fans and "differences in vision" with the Ukraine hosted oraganization, who entered the eSports market late last year with an injection of cash incentives that attracted several top players.

Competitive staples SonicFox and Tekken Master took top spots in the Mortal Kombat 11 competition held in Kiev in March, splitting $25,000 between them from a total $150,000 prize pool. The source of WePlay's abundant funds is speculated to be part of the problem.

Kotaku reports a controversial deal with Russian gambling site 1xBet as a mounting cause for concern for observers. A report by The Sunday Times documented various practises that led to a suspension of business in the United Kingdom, including gambling on children's sporting in Kenya, and advertising on illegal streaming websites.

Tekken 7 and Soul Calibur VI developer Bandai Namco joined NetherRealm Studios in the boycott, almost simultaneously releasing their own social media statement with similarly vague reasoning, adding "professional standards" to almost identical phrasing. WePlay Ultimate Fight League posted a response calling the development a surprise.

In a statement to Esports News UK, Weplay stated "We are aware of the fact that 1xBet does not operate in certain countries.. 1xBet has assured us that the brand abides by all the relevant laws and regulations in every jurisdiction in which it operates."

Final Round tournament organizer Josh "Icege" McWhorter gained traction earlier in the month when he expressed speculative concerns over potential links between 1xBet and organized crime, and the implications of WePlay's deal with the company. These claims appear unverified at this time.

The boom in spending has seen eSports develop rapidly, following and pioneering models employed in professional sporting competitions, but lacking in the organized independent regulation associated with monitoring and upholding standards and practises in sport, and other industries. Catering to a niche where the lines between players and fans are blurred, the field has been ripe for corruption and controversy.

Esports News UK reports that former NetherRealm partner, ESL, is investigating and reviewing their sponsorship with 1xBet. ESL took steps toward eliminating doping in eSports with a drug testing program in 2015, but the ethics of gambling advertising in this space remain a topic awaiting further examination.

With the United Kingdom contesting with on-going safety concerns relating to the infectious COVID-19 pandemic: measures have been taken to offer Mortal Kombat available to watch digitally starting next week! Read on for details:

Warner Brothers UK shared the news via Twitter, announcing the rental premiere coming to preferred digital outlets starting Thursday, May 6th! The tweet includes an exciting teaser clip with footage from the battle between classic rivals Scorpion and Sub-Zero!

Flawless victory! Rent the Movie Premiere at Home from May 6 from all your favourite digital retailers. #MortalKombatMovie pic.twitter.com/swNsPQxxkp

— WarnerBrosUK (@WarnerBrosUK) April 28, 2021

Warner Bros previously released tentpole blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong at a £15.99 rental rate available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, and through Sky. HBO Max is currently only available in the United States and will stream the movie until May 23rd.

It's good news for British fans who want to watch the movie safely! The film enjoyed strong theatrical takings in Europe early in April, and won a tight domestic opening weekend. It also seems to have become the most watched new programme on HBO Max!

If you're still undecided if you want to watch: you can catch up with the official red band trailer, first 7 minutes, behind the scenes featurette, and MK Online's review. Tell us how you're watching MK in the comments below and find & discuss more hot topics in the Media & Merchandise forum!

Thanks to the release of the new Mortal Kombat movie -- it looks like everyone has a case of MK fever! If you're looking for more live-action thrills after streaming the new release on HBO Max, the service now has you covered with cult-favourite late nineties televisaion series - Mortal Kombat: Conquest! Read on for details:

Originally airing in the Fall of 1998 through 1999; Mortal Kombat: Conquest brought to life the ancient backstory of the Great Kung Lao with a single 22 episode run. Despite taking place centuries before the much-loved 1995 feature film, it expanded upon the shared universe of Threshold's productions, incorporating occasional establishing shots from the films, and featuring various fan-favourite characters who could plausibly survive the gulf of time.

Paolo Montalban starred as Earthrealm's immortal champion: a metrosexual monk who must deal with the trials of surviving Outworld's assassination attempts whilst tending to the day-to-day running of a trading post inherited from his murdered love interest. As godly mentor Raiden (Jeff Meek) chimes in the series intro: That is the burden he must carry.

The show was an oversexed product of its time, continuing a new wave of swashbuckling, ancient era action kitsch started by TV's Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The martial arts show had to invent a lot of material for its run, including series regulars Siro (Daniel Bernhardt) and Taja (Kristanna Loken), but after a slow start, manages to get just enough right to make it a hidden gem for fans of MK and cheesy multimedia.

The show rolls out modified versions of Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Kitana, Mileena, Reptile and some very nice characters we won't spoil, usually working for the exiled Shang Tsung (Bruce Locke), who seeks redemption in the eyes of Shao Kahn (also Jeff Meek), and revenge for his defeat at the hands of Kung Lao. That's right, folks. The very first thing you will see in this series is the Mortal Kombat tournament!

The show even seems to predict a handful of future concepts featured in the video game series. There's a memorable "Unholy Alliance" between Shang Tsung and Quan Chi (Adoni Maropis), a visit from Master Cho (George Cheung) that forecasts Bo' Rai Cho a few years later, and even a prototype D'Vorah-esque insectoid queen called Empress Kreeya (Fabiana Udenio). The show really finds its rhythm after first half-dozen episodes and features a dramatic finale that will leave you cursing the executives who didn't renew it for a second season!

[Related Article: Review: Mortal Kombat Hacks Into Franchise Reboot]

Warner Brothers released the Complete Series DVD in 2014, but for those who missed out and subscribed to HBO Max for the new movie, this is the perfect time to catch-up on one of Kombat's curious forgotten corners! If you do share your thoughts in the comments below and check out more AV discussion in the Media & Merchandise forum!