It seems like it was not very long ago that I was penning the
announcement of our ten year anniversary back in 2006. Incredibly, I am here again to put down my thoughts on how significant it is for a website covering a single video game series to persevere for 15 years.
Mortal Kombat has been an extremely unique series that, ironically, never seems to die. In fact, I can say that with the recently released
Mortal Kombat (2011), the
Mortal Kombat series is at its highest point in popularity for the entire 15 years
TRMK has existed.
It wasn't apparent that
Mortal Kombat would ever get to this point in history. In the past five years, there was a major amount of uncertainty surrounding
Midway Games, the parent company of the
Mortal Kombat franchise. Starting with the
Chapter 11 reorganization filing of Midway Games and the subsequent
rumors of
selling the
Mortal Kombat franchise to
Warner Bros. After all of the dust had settled,
Midway Games was no more, but
Mortal Kombat would live on under the new stewardship of
Warner Bros. and the direction of a
rebranded NetherRealm Studios.
After releasing the first ever crossover game in
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe, the franchise was due for a major overhaul as current generation consoles featured so much opportunity for a "true" mature
Mortal Kombat game.
Mortal Kombat (2011) was a game that every fan of any
Mortal Kombat game could get excited about. It truly was a game for the fans that stuck by the series, and regained the interests of those who had forgotten about it. Not only has
Mortal Kombat (2011) been a critical and financial success for
NRS and
Warner Bros., the
TRMK community has grown to its highest levels of participation and readership ever because of the game's successes. With the embracing of
Mortal Kombat (2011) into the competitive fighting game community, the franchise has positioned itself to become a greater impact on the video game industry than it ever has since its inception.
Thanks to
NetherRealm Studios and
Warner Bros. for the unprecedented cooperation we have experienced in the last few years. The new
NetherRealm Studios has been an amazing group to work with, given the studio's new-found ability to independently handle their community relations. Thank you to all of the
NetherRealm Studios staff members we have come in contact with and to
Rigo Cortes for being an invaluable asset to the
Mortal Kombat community.
Special heartfelt thanks to
Patrick McCarron for taking
TRMK to levels I could have never reached by myself. Through his direction and leadership,
TRMK has become a true destination for those who are passionate fans of the
Mortal Kombat franchise.
TRMK successes are due to Patrick's hard work and dedication to the site, along with the excellent staff of
Forum Moderators he has assembled. I sincerely appreciate the working relationship Patrick and I have formed throughout the years, and look forward to what we can accomplish in the future.
Finally, it is because of you, the reader, that we are able to continue our passionate work to further the
Mortal Kombat community. There have been some very dark days along this 15 year odyssey; however, it is truly apparent that the community remains strong and will continue to be for years to come. With the upcoming 20th anniversary of the
Mortal Kombat franchise next year, another chance to celebrate and reflect on a game that has impacted millions across the world will be here soon as well. I am extremely excited at where the next chapter of
Mortal Kombat will take us and have never been more confident in its future success. Hopefully at this time five years from now, we will be reflecting upon how far the
TRMK community has progressed after two decades.
Sincerely,
Jeff Greeson and
Patrick McCarron
The
Realm Media Networks Staff.
To show our appreciation to our readers over the last fifteen years, we have lined up two weeks of awesome contests for our loyal readers. This week we are giving away two copies Mortal Kombat (2011) that are AUTOGRAPHED by many of the developers at NetherRealm Studios. This contest will run all week and will allow you one bonus entry per day during the week.
To enter head on over to one of the two contest pages that set up for the contests, one
for Xbox 360 and one
for PlayStation 3. Click the one (or both) that you want to enter below and follow the instructions to enter.
We will have a few additional contests to announce in the coming days and weeks as time goes on so stay tuned for further announcements. Until then, let these images be a teaser for what else is in store.
What are your favorite TRMK Memories? Take a trip through our
News Archive and post a comment about your favorite stories over the years.
Xbox 360 Contest
PlayStation 3 Contest
Thank you for your hard work in the past and into the future. It doesn't go unnoticed.
