Ed Boon and the team from NetherRealm are in Cologne, Germany to show-off Mortal Kombat X at what is shaping up to be a memorable trade fair! IGN have spoken to Boon about the 2015 fighter in one of the first interviews to come out of 2014's Gamescom and they've uncovered a couple of interesting details!

While no details have come from Gamescom just yet - we've again been teased with the introduction of a new "-Ality" that will be revealed sometime in the near future. That's just the tip of an iceberg that gave us new story and character beats, as well as a bombshell about expected crossovers. Read on:

Update: Ed Boon discusses story and return of -Ality in video excerpt.

The already confirmed inclusion of guest characters has been a source for much speculation. Adding specifics; IGN report Mortal Kombat will play host to one or more console exclusive fighter(s) in the 2015 game. This will be in the vein of last generation's Mortal Kombat (2011) PlayStation 3 exclusive: Kratos. The eponymous God of War has already been ruled out of a return, but an apparent continued relationship between Sony & Warner Bros. appears to favor another exclusivity agreement. Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal) remains a popular choice among fans, previously considered by the developers.

Less concrete is the returning likelihood of klassic kombatants: Johnny Cage & Sonya Blade. Not yet ruled out by the addition of their offspring (Cassie Cage) -- Boon is talking up the intrigue of potential interaction between generations. He stops short of acknowledging their inclusion in the main playable roster, with story mode flashbacks allowing for reduced roles based on the continuation of the 2011 reboot story. The parents-to-be were name checked in this month's GamePro Germany cover story, as well.

[Related Article: Kountdown: 10 Returning Kombatants Ready to Kontinue!]

The 25 year timespan of Mortal Kombat X was revealed with the E3 unveiling of new characters [read more]. Its shuffled narrative is what will afford MKX the overlapping presence of klassic fighters and their daughter(s), too. Don't expect all the old favourites to be back, though. "... A lot of old faces won't make the roster, but to us it was more important we did introduce new characters. We're probably introducing more in this game than in any other MK title ever."

The Creative Director again called upon the lauded 2011 story mode to inform what's in store for MKX and its character-centric chapters: "You still play the different chapters and each chapter has a character where it follows their actions, but instead of just jumping from one character to the next, it'll jump in time as well. So all of a sudden, you may have a flashback and you'll participate in those, but sometimes the story will just move forward five or ten years." Details of the story have been scarce, but Boon let a little bit more slip:

"[D'vorah] works with [Kotal Kahn], but there's twists there.
I won't give away the story, but a lot of these characters come in and out of power over the course of the story."

We learned in a recent trailer that newcomer Kotal Kahn will rise to power as the new Emperor of Outworld. Boon tells IGN, "A lot of the new characters are those that came into power after MK9. Kotal Khan is one of them. He was one of the rulers of Outworld during that 25 year period, and the story mode basically follows his rise and fall." Among those characters who've come into power is D'Vorah: "Swarm Queen" who has an as yet unknown relationship with Kotal Kahn.

This influx of new characters is a driving force for Mortal Kombat X and a direct response to Mortal Kombat (2011) and its familiar references: "The last game we did in 2011 was a complete fan service title, so we really felt it was time to add a lot of new characters to the mix."

The leap forward may provide progress for a veteran franchise itself over 20 years old, but the series co-creator notes future challenges such an ambitious shift presents: "We wanted to do something bold, and this is a bold new story, despite the fact it's the tenth game. But when you jump ahead 25 years it's like... what do you do now? Do you jump in time again? Do you go back 25 years? Do you introduce a whole new cast? We'll worry about it when we reach it, but I do think it could be hard to continue, if we do another one."

Get the full interview experience by visiting IGN for more detail.

Klassic fighter Kano is newly playable at Gamescom.

Coinciding with Gamescom is the full reveal of Black Dragon bad guy: Kano! Hear Ed Boon explain Kano's fighting techniques in the narrated reveal trailer! Then scrutinize the returning original's new design in an official render and new high quality screenshots! Find & discuss all major stories on the Mortal Kombat X forum.