f13.net forums - Monolith sells Matrix Online to SoE

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June 27, 2025, 11:44:50 AM

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CorpNews claims that Monolith has sold The Matrix Online to Sony. This is still a rumor at the Moment but according to Corp they have laid off most of their MMO Staff already.

THe Matrix Online and Star Wars in the same stable. Two bad tastes that taste even worse together.

I'll believe it when I see the press release. Rumormongering with big names isn't very tactful.

Edit: I should note, I'm not surprised The Matrix is dead. I am surprised that:

1. Someone would buy it.
2. It would be SOE.

The Matrix Online isn't owned by Monolith, they are just the developers -- WB owns the game. It's highly highly unlikely they would sell something related to their Matrix franchise outright to Sony. It's possible that WB canned Monolith as the developers and are hiring SOE (maybe SOE North, the Mythica guys) to redo the game, sort of like how LA and SOE teamed up to do SWG (and we all know how well that went...) It was obvious from the Beta that Monolith was in way over their heads in terms of developing an MMO. They clearly did not have the technical expertise to get it right, even if they might've had some interesting gameplay ideas.

I'm not so sure. They might've sold it lock, stock and barrel. I'm pretty confident the licensing rights to Freaky Friday would be more expensive than the Matrix at this point. BUT, selling it when they know they've got more Matrix games in development (Path to Neo for example) seems odd. Who knows, SOE might've offered them a really sweet deal.

Unfortunately, this just makes SOE look worse. See, purchasing shit is purchasing shit. No matter how you slice it. Of course, it's just another thing they can add to their station pass.

Until I see some official kind of confirmation, or some official press release stating that MxO has laid people off, I'm calling bullshit on this.

Matrix license is owned by Warner Bros., and MxO is one of the WB's games divisions premiere games. To sell the development of it off to one of their biggest entertainment competitors is essentially saying, "We give up, we don't know how to make games."

Which, according to reports of MxO, may be true, but still. That's a corporate form of seppuku.

EDIT: Also, has MxO offered a free trial yet? I like haranguing bad games as much as bad movies.

I know kung fu

tried it, quit it, same day. Level1-5(?) were literally the same mission, the same map EACH FREAKING TIME. Left me stunned how the missions designs and the combat were so poor. The rock/paper/scissors model didnt need to be literally implemented that way (couldve been normal attack styles on a hotkey bar that players would figure out over time. ie. style1 overcomes style2 really well).

2 different people in #hate got the news from 2 different friends who work on MxO within an hour of each other. Could still turn out to be bs, but sure doesn't look like it.

Again, I don't give a fuck about some IRC rumor. Show me facts.

Just to see if Haemish can twitch some more, let's throw out there the conspiracy theorists on the MxO forums, who after seeing the news report via corp have been commenting quite a bit on the sudden disappearance as of yesterday of all MMO job openings from Monolith's web site. Fascinating timing wink

I agree, I call bullshit on this because it doesn't make any sense. I can see WB farming out the running of the game to someone else, but I seriously doubt they would sell it outright, especially to Sony.

Maybe Sony is buying all of Warner Brothers and the world is ending.

The sky is falling.

Qto3 has some mention which is headed by the Corp, but Div makes an appearance that adds some creedance.

Div adds creedence?

The sky really is falling.

I joke. I joke.

Seriously though, sounds too bullshitty. The whole situation.

Would you like to make a small wager on whether this story will prove to be true, then? :-D

Quote from: Jdub on June 16, 2005, 12:20:04 PM

Would you like to make a small wager on whether this story will prove to be true, then? :-D

A shitty MMOG being acquired by one of the four horsemen? That wouldn't surprise me.

The fact the WB would give Sony anything attached to The Matrix surprises me.

"Giving" Sony MxO is something akin to Lord Amherst giving Native Americans those lovely blankets.

I'd find it harder to believe that two big corporations wouldn't want to rape what's left of some shitty licenses corpse for whatever monetary value it has left. Shit, Sony is actually publishing Turbines Throne of Destiny expansion pack for AC.

I doubt anything is being sold to Sony. More likely, Sony Online is just going to be maintaining the game from now on. Lets not forget WB bought out Monolith some time ago when it was in a financial crisis while making MxO. Transfering operation over to SO is probably much cheaper, and they probably figure they'll benefit from their online advertising and all access pass.

Quote from: HaemishM on June 16, 2005, 10:03:38 AM

Again, I don't give a fuck about some IRC rumor. Show me facts.

Corp updated the story with the following

"Edit: Yes, it's true. The story has been quadruple confirmed by four seperate sources on the inside. Word is official press announcements will come late today or tomorrow."

Any of the l33t f13 sources confirm or deny it?

Quote from: slog on June 16, 2005, 01:49:42 PM

Quote from: HaemishM on June 16, 2005, 10:03:38 AM

Again, I don't give a fuck about some IRC rumor. Show me facts.

First of all, we'll accept it as fact if and when those press announcements occur. Until then it is still rumor. K, thanks.

Quote from: slog on June 16, 2005, 01:49:42 PM

Any of the l33t f13 sources confirm or deny it?

Are we trying to confirm it? No. If it's real a press release should be forthcoming. Have a nice day.

Let me reiterate:

Shitty game.

Who cares?

I've emailed Monolith's PR contact. And got nothing back so far. Which means, it's still a fucking rumor. About a shitty game almost no one plays being sold/licensed/farmed out to a company almost everyone hates. Except for Raph. And some people even hate him, despite his cuddliness and genuine naivete.

Please, tell me why I should care about something that cannot even be officially confirmed?

Quote from: HaemishM on June 16, 2005, 08:37:08 AM

EDIT: Also, has MxO offered a free trial yet? I like haranguing bad games as much as bad movies.

That's the only way any of this would mean jack squat to me. I'm just curious with this title (bullet time + teh suck = 1 day of amusement max) but I wouldn't dare spend more than a quarter on it.

The new Matrix game, The Path of Neo is coming up which is being developed by Shiny and published by Atari. Seems strange that WB would farm out Matrix Online to SOE now. I guess we'll see in a day or two.

Quote from: Shockeye

Are we trying to confirm it? No. If it's real a press release should be forthcoming. Have a nice day.

Quote from: Haemish

I've emailed Monolith's PR contact. And got nothing back so far. Which means, it's still a fucking rumor.

slog, you have the biggest penis and the most friends. If I were Japanese, I'd commit seppuku.

Quote from: schild on June 16, 2005, 03:12:20 PM

slog, you have the biggest penis and the most friends. If I were Japanese, I'd commit seppuku.

err ok. Except I have nothing to do with corp news, and I was serious about if you industry contacts had any insider info. After all, you did in the industry for a bit..

Then don't be a snide dickhead. Just say that.

I could have called SOE or WB. But honestly, the rumors of Troika closing down were far more interesting than this.

This is simply non-news as it involves a shitty shitty shitty game.

Edit: Let me say, if the news involved Monolith getting shut down and F.E.A.R. being scrapped or shelved indefinately, I would have been on the phone all morning. But it doesn't.

Quote from: Jdub on June 16, 2005, 12:37:22 PM

"Giving" Sony MxO is something akin to Lord Amherst giving Native Americans those lovely blankets.

Good old Lord Jeff DID get some small New England college named after him....

Well the MxO details are sketchy but they do use the word "acquisition" so it sounds like more than just SOE being hired to fix up MxO so I guess I was wrong. I wonder who, though, is going to be in control of the ongoing storyline. Jason Hall makes it sound like WB will still be involved somehow but he might just be saying that to save some face since it was his idea to use Monolith to develop the game (the company he founded and left to join WB).

Looks like WB Interactive still owns the game but SOE is going to continue development and run it.

Quote from: luckton on June 17, 2005, 06:33:29 AM

http://vnboards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=88169947&start=88171116

Official enough for ya?

No, it's not. First, it's the fucking Vault.

However, that story IS on PR Newswire, yet somehow, no one in gaming industry sites has even picked up the story, other than the Matrix Vault. Which I find strange, but whatever. It's also on none of the company sites, including SOE, Warner Bros. games site, the Matrix Online's site, nothing.

Which tells me that, official or not, it registers as not even a /meh on the whole industry's scale. Because it's a shitty shit shit shitty shit shit game that can't even attract enough customers to make WB think the MMOG scene is important enough to develop in-house.

Quote from: Jason Hall

"We've done just that with The Matrix Online. Because of our compelling work in developing and launching that game we can now move it over to the leaders in the MMO space, SOE. We look forward to working with SOE to enhance our overall services to massively multiplayer online gamers for The Matrix Online and a new DC Comics game."

Translation: Ooops, we fucked up. The game sucks, we had no clue how to launch it and no one bought it. We'll pay SOE to keep this albatross afloat and make us a decent DC Comics branded MMOG, because we got no fucking clue. But, we need to promote our DC Comics brand, because the brands will make more money in other media than they can in comics. Oh, and we suck at games.

Quote from: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

DC heroes enter online arms race

By Chris Marlowe Fri Jun 17, 8:35 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A literal battle of the superheroes is shaping up in the highly volatile world of online games.

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are set to announce Friday an exclusive long-term licensing agreement that will let gamers share a universe with DC Comics' Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, the Sandman and other action immortals.

The companies also disclosed that Sony Online had acquired Warner's "The Matrix Online" game. All 25 staff members currently operating the subscription-based massively multiplayer online game have been offered their existing position under the new ownership.

"We see DC as a very valuable brand," said Jason Hall, senior vp at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment which, like DC Comics, is owned by Time Warner Inc. "There's a lot of opportunity sitting in the DC universe, and we're looking at those gems and how to present them in a compelling way to the consumer."

Sony Online already has demonstrated expertise in this arena with such significant hits as the "EverQuest" franchise, "PlanetSide" and "Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided." It also brings economies of scale to operating these labor-intensive properties.

"By working with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, we will fuse the knowledge SOE has in the online space with some of Warner Bros.' phenomenal properties," Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley said. "SOE will work closely with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to maintain the authenticity consumers demand from the DC Comics franchises and the existing 'The Matrix Online' game."

Sega of America will continue to manage distribution of "The Matrix Online," while Warner will oversee content development and relinquish operational involvement. Ubisoft withdrew from its involvement with the property in early 2004.

"Our goal is to deliver quality content and consistently advance our key properties within the online games space," Hall said. "We've done just that with 'The Matrix Online.' Because of our compelling work in developing and launching that game, we can now move it over to the leaders in the MMO space: SOE."

Sony Online will be creating a DC Comics game for the PC and next-generation gaming platforms, scheduled to be released in late 2007.

"DC has got a very large depth and history to it," Smedley said. "And it isn't a bad thing that 'Batman Begins' just came out, then 'Superman' next year and 'Wonder Woman' after that."

Another advantage of the Sony-Warner pairing is the Station Access Pass, which gives unlimited access to all of Sony's MMO (massively multiplayer online) games for $21.99 a month. Hall said this means all 600,000 existing Station subscribers could minimize the risk and hassle of experiencing "The Matrix Online" or the upcoming DC Comics game because they already are included in the monthly fee.

"We believe strongly that the cable model is the right one," Smedley agreed. "You're bringing a lot of high quality to the consumer at the right price."

DC's won't be the first superhero MMO game. In 2002, Marvel Enterprises Inc. signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Vivendi Universal Publishing to create an MMO based on Marvel's more than 4,700 other characters, including Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk and the X-Men. According to a Vivendi spokeswoman, that project is currently on hold.

DC Comics will, however, be taking on NCsoft's "City of Heroes" MMO. Launched a year ago, it has more than 130,000 registered users, all of whom pay a monthly subscription fee of $14.95 in addition to purchasing the boxed game for about $30.

Smedley said he was unaware of the Marvel MMO status but wasn't concerned. "I will put Super-Man against the X-Men any day," he said. "And 'City of Heroes' was massively successful, but now we're bringing the world's No. 1 comic into the MMO space."

Hall was similarly unfazed by any potential competition. "DC is really where the classic archetype of the superhero lives, and there is nothing else like it," he said. "We're partnered with arguably the leader in this space for the longest period of time, and we're pairing them up with one of our largest properties. It's a great setup for success and for the experience DC fans want to have."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Quote from: HaemishM on June 17, 2005, 08:23:22 AM

The game sucks

Does not. Much, anyway. Don't go basing your impressions on the beta, they patch often compared to, say, Blizzard.

Matrix Online, sold to the up-fuckers of SOE and stripped of the live event team, will eventually suck though.

There is another thread for their future fucking-up of the DC universe, btw.