“Mortal Kombat X” could be an interesting segue for NetherRealm Studios into the next generation, given where the series has gone in the past. As more gameplay trailers are released, it’s important to note how one of the most influential franchises in gaming history has survived through the years, from company buyouts to terrible development decisions.

The first “Mortal Kombat” came to arcades in 1992 as Midway Games’s response to Capcom’s “Street Fighter II.” Fighting games were huge in arcades and the “Street Fighter” franchise practically printed money.

Everyone knows a little of what happened after that. “Mortal Kombat” was bloody and had special finishing moves called Fatalities which allowed players to kill their opponents. It was unlike anything many gamers had seen before.

The amount of violence in “Mortal Kombat,” along with other questionable content in contemporary titles like “Night Trap” led to government hearings and ultimately the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry-created check on games which still continues today. Those M-rated games you either play or prevent your children from playing owe a debt to “Mortal Kombat.”

Like many fighting games, the “Mortal Kombat” franchise fell off the map even as it produced more titles. Midway quit producing arcade versions of the game after “Mortal Kombat 4,” and the series arguably fell into a lull in the 2000s, with notable exceptions like “Mortal Kombat: Deception.”

By its seventh iteration, the “Mortal Kombat” series felt stale. The fighting game mechanics were stagnant in “Mortal Kombat: Armageddon,” and a lack of personalized fatalities hurt the 2006 game, though it did contain more than 60 characters. While it was critically well-received for the most part, “MK: Armageddon,” wasn’t the sort of fun experience people expected.

A lucky partnership with Warner Bros. proved fruitful for the “Mortal Kombat” series. “MK vs. DC Universe” was released in 2008, pitting “Mortal Kombat” characters against superheroes like Batman and Superman. A year later, Midway Games would go out of business when it declared bankruptcy.

Midway was bleeding from severe revenue losses for several years prior to its bankruptcy and a credit agreement with other companies did the video game developer few favors. Midway sold most of its assets to Warner Bros., which beefed up its video game division with the “Mortal Kombat” series among other titles.

Two years later, “Mortal Kombat,” also known as “Mortal Kombat 9,” hit the scene and rejuvenated the series with intense combat, a lot of unlockable content, a great online mode and fun side games. This “Mortal Kombat” reboot garnered tons of praise and lots of sales. Now NetherRealm studios, the Warner Bros.-backed development house featuring longtime “Mortal Kombat” veterans, is set to release “Mortal Kombat X” next year.

There’s a lot of expectations for the new “Mortal Kombat,” and thus far the game looks to be a deeper experience than normal. Let’s hope the series that just won’t die returns with even more bloody, awesome gameplay.