The Matrix Online Is Playable Over A Decade After It Shut Down
The fans refuse to let The Matrix Online die!
The Matrix Resurrections, a highly awaited continuation of the Matrix series, has sparked new interest in the franchise. Naturally, people rushed to watch all the previous live-action and animated films to remind them what they could expect from the new story. Well, as it happened, the film’s piqued other interests, and gamers all around started wondering whatever happened to MxO — The Matrix Online MMORPG video game that was released in 2005?
Well, surprisingly, the game still lives! According to the PC Gamer, The Matrix Online still exists, though not in its most polished condition. Unfortunately, you can’t access the game officially since Sega pulled the plug on its own game back in 2009. So, you must go scenic and perhaps less legal route (we do not endorse such action) to access the game via a hyperlink that downloads the preserved client of the game, alongside a reverse-engineered piece of software that breaks the game free from Sony’s clenching claws. You may or may not be asked to fabricate login credentials, but once you’re finally in the game, you can assume the role of the next Messiah and dominate both the skies and Matrix’s agent sent down to hunt you.
Except that you can’t — the game is a wreck. After Sega decided to pull the plug of MxO’s life support and put it out of its misery, a small and dedicated group of players pieced together The Matrix Online emulation project, which is currently the only way to play the game in 2021. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of in-game content is missing, alongside combat mechanics, quests, character progression, or any other element that resembles an MMORPG video game that the nation of redpills once enjoyed. And yet, against all odds, the game survived, though more akin to an empty shell than a video game. However, for those nostalgic about it, just logging in would suffice to quench the nostalgia.
Those who enter the game in its current state can chat, explore, equip clothing and weapons, and emote. The team of gamers behind the project is working tirelessly to give it more life, but the sad reality is that most things were lost when Sega decided to shut down the game. The Matrix Online was released in 2005, one year after the superbly popular World of Warcraft of the era and two years after The Matrix’s sequels, which were lesser in quality than the original film. Considering that it came into a market already heavily dominated by other MMO titles and paired with a declining franchise, the MxO was predestined to fail — Sega just didn’t get the memo.
Of course, the company did its best to preserve the video game developed by Monolithic Production, the very same developer currently working on the previously announced Wonder Woman video game. But with an active player base of approximately 500 players in 2009, compared to WoW’s 10 million active players of the time, Sega finally decided to put The Matrix Online to rest. Luckily, there are still those who would let it die and are doing everything in their power to resuscitate the game. But to what end?
Well, we live in an era of remakes, remasters, and reboots, which is something the new Matrix film attests to. It’s entirely possible for this MMO to find a gust of new life and perhaps give birth to something truly remarkable.
