Apr 21, 2011 19:11 GMT  ·  By

Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Machinima.com have announced that there were more than five million people watching the Mortal Kombat: Legacy web exclusive series that the two companies launched last week, accompanying the launch of the new video game in the same franchise.

The web series will be made up of nine episodes, coming together at about the same length as a full feature movie, allowing fans of the Mortal Kombat universe to see the origins and backstories of a number of characters.

The series stars Michael Jai White, seen in the The Dark Knight as Major Jackson ‘Jax’ Briggs, Jeri Ryan from Star Trek: Voyager as Sonya Blade and Darren Shahlavi, known for 300 as Kano.

The second installment in the series is also available to view on Machinima.com, one of the fastest growing You Tube channels, which caters primarily to a young male audience.

The future episodes will also includes other characters like Scorpion, Sub Zero, Cyrax and Sector.

Thomas Gewecke, who is the president of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, has stated that, “Kevin Tancharoen delivered an amazing production that millions of fans around the world are enjoying. We couldn’t be more pleased with the reception it’s received. This is truly a testament to the quality of the series and the ongoing popularity of the Mortal Kombat characters and franchise.”

Allen DeBevoise, chairman and CEO, Machinima, Inc, added, “The global numbers we’re seeing on ‘Mortal Kombat: Legacy’ rival the viewership of most cable series. The combination of Machinima’s strong network, Warner Bros.’ content and YouTube’s platform is part of the new era of video entertainment networks.”

The new Mortal Kombat video game is out now and the developers at NetherRealm Studios are saying that the experience is designed to take gamers back to the roots of the series, with mature Fatalities and a new focus on characters.