The Mortal Kombat 1 launch trailer pays homage to the original game's commercial

Dave Bautista in the Mortal Kombat 1 official live action trailer

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Warner Bros. has released a new live-action trailer for Mortal Kombat 1 which recreates iconic scenes from the series' debut Mortal Monday commercial.

With just over two weeks to go until Mortal Kombat 1 is released, hype is at an all-time high. For fans of some of the best fighting games, it can be considered one of the biggest upcoming games of the year. The official live-action trailer gets straight into the heart of things, with former professional wrestler and current movie star Dave Bautista getting out into the street screaming those all too familiar words, Mortal Kombat!

The trailer is just under two minutes in length, around double the duration of the original Mortal Monday commercial from 30 years ago, which sees the actor rallying people from all walks of life to come together in unison for the deadly fighting tournament. As with the original trailer, the clip ends with the hordes of people overcome with the urge to get violent as the chaos erupts into in-game footage.

It's more than a touch of nostalgia from the marketing team, as this new trailer seems to perfectly capture the essence of Mortal Kombat 1 as Bautista shouts to the crowd that it's "a new era" and a "new beginning". Parallels between this upcoming release and the first-ever Mortal Kombat are further cemented by the fact that the latest in the long-running series releases the same week as the original title did over three decades ago. It's a rallying cry to those who grew up with the original trilogy.

This could explain why this fourth entry in the NetherRealm's revitalized Mortal Kombat series has broken the release window tradition. Typically, as has been the case with Mortal Kombat (2011), Mortal Kombat X, and Mortal Kombat 11, the games have always been released in mid-to-late April - as was also the case with Injustice: Gods Among Us.

Mortal Kombat 1 releases on September 19 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and should play especially well with one of the best fight sticks.

Formerly TechRadar Gaming's Hardware Editor, Aleksha McLoughlin is now a freelance writer and editor specializing in computing tech, video games, and E-commerce. As well as her many contributions to this site, you'll also find her work available on sister sites such as PC Gamer, GamesRadar, and Android Central. Additionally, more of her bylines can be found on Trusted Reviews, Dexerto, Expert Reviews, Techopedia, PC Guide, VideoGamer, and more.