October 26^th, 2004 (10:36am) - Midway Games Inc. officially announced today that its most recognized and successful franchise, Mortal Kombat will be extended to the action/adventure genre with the release of Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Slated for release in Fall 2005, Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is currently in development for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

“Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an Action/Adventure title that will help to expand the already wildly popular Mortal Kombat universe well beyond the fighting genre,” said David F. Zucker, president and chief executive officer. “Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is also our first step toward delivering something that Mortal Kombat fans have been calling for: a new game set in the Mortal Kombat universe every year. We are planning our Mortal Kombat release schedule with the expectation that we will deliver a new Mortal Kombat title annually.”

Mortal Kombat : Shaolin Monks is an Action/Adventure title driven by both intense single and multi-player action. Similar to the recently released Mortal Kombat: Deception, background interactions (i.e., acid pits, living trees, spiked ceilings, etc.), multiple new fatalities, and action-based puzzles will also play an important role in the player’s quest for an “outstanding” victory. Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks will feature an impressive line-up of Mortal Kombat characters, as well, that make frequent appearances as enemies, in boss battles and during several additional in-game interactions.

“For the first time ever, Mortal Kombat fanatics will get to explore all the mythos and rumors of the Mortal Kombat universe from an entirely new perspective. Action/Adventure fans will be blown away by the intuitive kombat system, puzzle solving and epic storyline that can be experienced in either the single player mode or through co-op play,” said Mortal Kombat creator, Ed Boon.

However, is this the first time ever Midway has stepped out of the traditional fighting genre with Mortal Kombat? Nope, but perhaps Midway wants to forget the terrible adventure game that is Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero.