Before anyone gets too excited - we're just gonna come right out with it: We don't think this is concept art for the in-production Mortal Kombat X. That said - it doesn't mean we can't still call attention to this amazing piece of Ermac "fan art" by Bernard Beneteau!
"Here is a concept I have been working on during my spare time. This is a fan art piece of Mortal Kombat's Ermac. Sculpted a maquette in ZBrush, rendered in Keyshot and textures/paintovers in Photoshop." [Bernard Beneteau via ZBrushCentral]
If the name Bernard Beneteau seems familiar to you - bravo! It should. He's been featured on Mortal Kombat Online several times in his capacity as Senior Character Artist for several NetherRealm Studios games.
Beneteau started with the team back at Midway Entertainment, contributing to Mortal Kombat versus DC Universe! That practise clearly came in handy as he then continued in his role through Mortal Kombat & Injustice: Gods Among Us.
Some of his character design artworks featured include: Baraka, Raiden, Smoke, Bane, Green Lantern & Black Canary.
Calling any of this "fan art" is probably a bit rich, but in the case of the Ermac images featured - it comes from the horses mouth (or file name)!
The top image was retweeted by Ed Boon just a couple of days ago, when it was sent to him by a fan. This says to us it almost certainly won't be included in Mortal Kombat X -- but it could very well be a nod to the character's ultimate inclusion. Ed calls it "mean looking" -- we call it an interesting, almost Scarecrow-esque take on the patchwork warrior!
Mortal Kombat X will be featured at the upcoming E3 event in LA [full preview], where the first gameplay and new characters are set to be revealed! So far it's only been Scorpion & Sub-Zero starring in reveal trailer and promo art. Could Ermac be right around the corner?
Register to keep up to date and comment on all the top stories on the Mortal Kombat X forum! Special thanks to Rockchalk5477 for drawing our attention! Check out more Ermac fan-art in our April Art of Kombat feature. Support the site by liking & sharing stories like these via @MK_Online & Facebook!