Mortal Kombatis one of the most popular and recognizable franchises in gaming today. The franchise has a dedicated fanbase that still grows with each new iteration, especially after the success ofMortal Kombat 11. Fan-made art, cosplays, and other content have naturally been a big part of theMortal Kombatcommunity for a long time, and sometimes fan projects can seem as well-polished as anything movies or other adaptions can muster. Uppercut Editions’Kombat Kompendiumis a testament to that possibility. Uppercut Editions reached out to provide Game Rant with a few pre-release images that have previously only been made available to Kickstarter backers.
Uppercut Editions has been working on a comprehensive “Kombatpedia” for more than six years, and the Kickstarter for theKombat Kompendiumjust drew to an end. At this point, the project has raised nearly $75,000 in order to produce the love letter to the history ofMortal Kombat. Many fans ofMortal Kombatwill eat up any new mediathat comes their way, and the success ofMK11as well as is recent theatrical release have helped put theKombat Kompendiumin a good space, with many fans who are interested in the kind of deep dive the book is attempting to offer.
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Celebrating the Legacy of Mortal Kombat
The main thing theKombat Kompendiumis trying to accomplish is to be a premier source of lore and behind-the-scene information about the games' histories. In essence, it is a real-life Krypt in an easy-to-digest coffee table book format. The book is looking to explore alltheMortal Kombatgameswith concept art, official images, and even fan art coming from across the decades-long history of the franchise. The book has some strong production value behind it that can be seen in a preview video Uppercut Editions has put together on its Kickstarter page.
It’s important to note that the project is unofficial and not associated with Warner Bros., and as such isn’t an officialMortal Kombatproduct. But the book is clearly a love letter to the game and the deep history behind it. Looks at the expansiveroster ofMortal Kombatcharactersinclude art and backstory from each version of the franchise’s canon.Mortal Kombathas rebooted its lore more than a few times, so an elaborate look at the series' history is in-and-of-itself a daunting task. It seems likeKombat Kompendiumis doing its best with that task.
With NetherRealm Studios moving on fromMK11and its DLC, it will likely be a long time before a newMortal Kombatproject gets announced. The team is probably working on the next game in theInjusticeseries, or a rumored new Marvel IP. That being said, it could be a good time for fans to catch up with everything that’s come before, and theKombat Kompendiumis offering one way to do that.
Fan-made projects can be hit-or-miss endeavors, so some will be reticent about an unlicensed project. But it seems clear from the images made available by the book’s creators, and the confidence present in the Kickstarter preview video, that Uppercut Editions are more than a group of casual fans.Mortal Kombathas a huge roster of characters, exotic locations, and a deep backstory to explore. Fans that like to have physical expressions of their love for the franchise should be interested in checking out the upcomingKombat Kompendium.
Kombat Kompendiumrecently hosted a Kickstarter, and is looking to release by the end of the year.
