One thing that has always bugged me about Mortal Kombat is that it has the "Gotham City" effect where its almost a mash up of time periods.

If MKX takes place a out 20 years after the events of the original MK, then that would roughly put it in present time, however I don't recall the games ever officially recognizing a time period.

To me what makes it so confusing is that while Johnny Cage and Sonya are obviously in modern times, the story's surround Sub Zero and Scorpion seem to have taken place in feudal Japan.

The time periods just seem all over the place.