Mortal Kombat Returning to '2D' Roots

The gory Mortal Kombat fighter series is returning to its side-on origins in 2011 with a new game titled simply Mortal Kombat, announced today by publisher Warner Bros.

The original MK development team is working on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fighter, having been acquired by Warner Bros. after owner Midway's bankruptcy. The studio, briefly known as WB Games Chicago, has been re-branded NetherRealm Studios.

"We can't wait for players to get their hands on Mortal Kombat," said NetherRealm creative director and Mortal Kombat co-creator Ed Boon in the announcement. "This game really is a response to what players have been demanding: mature presentation, reinvented 2D fighting mechanic and the best, most gruesome fatalities ever!"

"A number of new game-play features including tag team and the deepest story mode of any fighting game" are promised by Warner Bros. in addition to traditional 1v1 bouts. A job listing last year revealed that "cutting-edge online features" were planned.

A slick eight-minute Mortal Kombat short film also popped up on the Internet this week, turning out to be a movie pitch for a film franchise reboot, unrelated to this new game.