NetherRealm has unveiled the first gore-drenched gameplay footage of its upcoming fighter Mortal Kombat 11, which launches on Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC later this year.

Mortal Kombat 11's first proper airing occurred during a relatively brisk reveal event, held in Los Angeles and livestreamed across the internet earlier today. Alongside a whole bunch of typically gruesome gameplay (which has now been released as a separate video, below), it offered glimpses at a handful of new features for the long-running fighting series, plus several other miscellaneous unveilings.

Much of the event's run-time was spent shining a light on Mortal Kombat 11's character roster. Joining the iconic likes of Scorpion, Raiden, Sub-Zero, and Sonya Blade (who, it was announced, will be voiced by WWE fighter Ronda Rousey), are new faces - including time-controlling Geras - and a few fan-favourites that haven't been seen in a while. Mortal Kombat 2's flesh-munching Baraka is back, for instance, as is Mortal Kombat 9's blood-manipulating Skarlet.

According to NetherRealm, every member of the line-up will support Mortal Kombat 11's new custom character variations feature, which enables players to create their own dramatically different, and seemingly elaborate, looks for their favourite fighters.

Gameplay Reveal | Official Trailer | Mortal Kombat Watch on YouTube

Elsewhere, NetherRealm's reveal event offered a peek at some of Mortal Kombat 11's overhauled fighting mechanics, including new separate meters for offensive and defensive moves, powerful Fatal Blow opportunities which now trigger once a character's health dips below 30 percent, plus Flawless Blocks which, when successful, open a window for counters.

The developer also shared Mortal Kombat 11's cinematic story prologue, plus ample Fatalities for those that like their gore as ludicrously over-the-top as possible. Gruesome highlights, some of which you can see below, included helicopter beheadings, blood-spear eye-poppings, a good old-fashioned spine-ripping, and even a reverse-punch face removal.

Fatalities | Official Trailer | Mortal Kombat Watch on YouTube

Rounding off the livestream, NetherRealm unveiled Mortal Kombat 11's Kollector's Edition, which includes a life-sized golden Scorpion mask, and confirmed that its Xbox One and PS4 closed beta (accessible to those that pre-order the game) will begin on March 28th. Mortal Kombat 11 releases on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 23rd, and arrives on Switch in May.