Midway announce Shaolin Mortal Kombat

But it isn't a beat 'em up!

It appears the latest instalment in the popular Mortal Kombat series, will, for the first time, not be a fighting game. Instead Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an action-adventure game due out on the Xbox and PS2 in the Autumn of 2005. The new title will see players exploring beyond the usual arenas, and this is a most interesting development for Midway's veteran series.

But this departure from the series arcade-roots is not the only thing Midway are altering. The firm has also announced that new games in the MK series will from now on be released annually. Hinting at a similar approach to Atari and Epic's Unreal Tournament series.

"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," Midway president David F. Zucker commented, adding "We are planning our Mortal Kombat release schedule with the expectation that we will deliver a new Mortal Kombat title annually." Most interesting, more on this as we get it.

By Luke Guttridge