Although we've been hearing snippets about The Matrix Online at E3 shows since 2002, there has been only a
limited bandwidth of information headed our way, and assurances that the title would be released sometime in 2004.
However, Monolith and its producers are apparently feeling a bit more secure about their game's prospects and have
decided to let the world in on a little more of their title with the establishment of a website presence for the game.
Located here, the website contains some preliminary press releases, information and statistics for the game, as well as
a series of wallpapers and screen captures which are available for download.
The Matrix Online is intended as an extension to the existing movie and game franchises for the series, and will
take place after Matrix Revolutions, the third Matrix movie. The main gameplay will be contained wholly within the
Matrix and will involve thousands of players who have hacked into the Matrix from a ship at broadcast depth. Oddly,
this actually implies some information about the ending to the trilogy for those interested in the series. Among its
many features that Monolith purports to be including, The Matrix Online is planned to involve players in original stories
created by the Wachowski brothers themselves. In addition, hallmark elements of the series like Bullet Time(tm) are
also expected to make the transition. Finally, the actual fighting in the game is going to be built around a system
of "Matrix like" fighting moves which the creators say you will be able to "swap out and exchange like trading cards."
The Matrix Online is currently in development for only the Windows platform by Monolith and EON Entertainment, and
is to be published through Ubi Soft. Right now, the only release commitments are a vague timeframe of 2004.
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