The Matrix Online Overview
The Matrix Online was an MMORPG originally developed by Monolith Productions and published by Sega and WB Games, set in the fictional universe of The Matrix films and featuring characters from the series. Matrix-style combat, including bullet time and Kung Fu tricks were integral to the game's combat. Players could side with one of the major factions (Zionist Humans, Exiles, or Machines) and join in the ongoing war against the other two.
Missions in The Matrix Online involve such Matrix-like activities as hacking, lock-picking and disabling security devices. When the game began, it was the intention of the developers to have frequent cinematics (with story contributions from comic book creator Paul Chadwick) that served as canonical continuations of the story of The Matrix. A comprehensive live events team portrayed characters from the films in-game, and server-wide events were held. Major occurrences such as the death of Morpheus were a part of in-game lore and the basis for in-game quest arcs and server events.
The game was transferred to Sony Online Entertainment in 2005, and these events diminished in number, although a volunteer live events group emerged for a while, working with the dev team to play out ongoing stories. The cinematics were eventually replaced by storyboards, updates became irregular, and player population dropped. The game was shut down in July of 2009.
