Word has dropped on The Matrix Online forums that the end is near: July 31, 2009.
In May 2004, I embarked upon a journey. I decided to take the red pill in a big way—I became the online community lead for The Matrix Online. Later that year, many of you joined me as you jacked in for the first time. It was a brand new world—a vision of online games that didn’t involve elves, spaceships, or dragons. We became part of the Matrix storyline; living our own adventures in the world painted by the movies.
It seems not so long ago I was jumping into Mara Central and going toe-to-toe with other devs at E3 2004. I had no idea this journey would take me to a whole different company, managing a major revision of the game, and my first producing gig. “Long, strange trip†doesn’t describe the half of it.
Now we’ve seen how far the rabbit hole goes and it’s time to wake up from that dream (or go back to sleep, depending how you look at it). On July 31, 2009, we will be jacking out for the last time. It’s a bittersweet moment for everyone involved with the game; as a player or as a developer.
It has been a good run. Where many games have fizzled out before or shortly after launch, by August we will have lived on in our home at SOE for more than 4 years. To this day, I have never worked with a community as dedicated as The Matrix Online community.
I’ll be at Fan Faire this year showing The Agency and hanging out with any redpills making the trip. The past couple years have been a blast, so I hope to see some of you there again..
The team will also be whipping up an end-of-the-world event. It won’t be quite the same as having over 100 developers in the game as Agents like when we ended beta, but we have 4 years of tricks up our sleeve. It’ll be a chance to revisit all the things that make MxO the memorable experience it is. And how could we pull the plug without crushing everyone’s RSI just one more time?
I have a lot of fond memories from my years working on MxO. We’ve had a good time in the Machines’ little playground and will be sad to see it end. I hope everyone enjoys the last few months of playing The Matrix Online.
See you on the other side.
Daniel “Walrus†Myers
– Ethic
Very surprised it lasted as long as it did, and I wonder why it’s being shut down now, considering its been on Station Access life support for all these years.
When one door closes another one opens.
Not really surprising. It was a bad MMO based on a bad license that had no longevity. Gotta pick those IPs carefully!
Yeah, definitely surprised it lasted this long. Anymore it’s just not adding much to the Station Pass anymore unless you want a solo-gothic like CoH.
Mostly, I am sad this is how the Matrix IP seemingly ends…
Huh, what I find most interesting is that this is Sony’s first MMO to close. They were the only major company who had not done this yet.
When we resurrected Meridian 59, most developers weren’t all that surprised because “MMO games can’t die.” But, I guess this shows that’s not the case.
This really is surprising. Apparently the game must be doing even worse than EQOA and Planet Side, which is a pretty neat trick.
Still, this news has motivated me to at least do the free trial. My last chance to set foot in a relatively oddball MMO.
Ya know…wow, I had forgotten that PlanetSide was still out there.
Jesus this game must have been BAD!
It might be closing down because it is a licensed property. I’m sure that Sony has to pay the owners of the Matrix IP a significant fee. That’s probably what makes the game unprofitable, compared to EQOA and PlanetSide.
Seems LOTRO is the only MMO based on a popular, non-original IP that’s doing well, unless my memory is failing me.
Rohan’s explanation makes a lot of sense to me. I mean, seriously, if you’d told me in 2003 that people would still be paying good money to play EQOA (even as part of the Station Pass), I would have looked at you like you’d grown a second head.
Also, Earth and Beyond. *empties a bottle of quafe on the ground* Vaya con Dios.
If Monolith hadn’t programmed it wrong, it might have been viable enough for WB or SOE to keep the live events. It was the PERFECT IP for an MMO fer crissake.