Thanks to the popularity of its movies, The Matrix is a $3 billion franchise with multiple awards. It revolutionized the movie industry and introduced many pop culture symbols, such as the red and blue pills. Aside from popularizing the concept of the Matrix to cyberpunk fans, the franchise also created several video games to cater to gamers.
Games such as Enter The Matrix and The Matrix: Path of Neo were iconic during their era and utilized several combat mechanics, such as bullet time. Unfortunately, The Matrix Online, one of the franchise's video games, did not receive the positive reception the other two games enjoyed due to several factors plaguing the game as an MMO.
The Matrix franchise eventually got a fourth film, The Matrix: Resurrections, and along with it came an Unreal Engine 5 video game demo called The Matrix Awakens in 2021. Three years after releasing the positively received demo on PlayStation and Xbox, The Matrix has yet to release another video game.
With new tech such as raytracing, AI-upscaling, and many other hardware improvements in the gaming industry, here are five reasons why now is the perfect time for The Matrix to release a new video game.
The Last Matrix Game Came Out Almost 20 Years Ago
While these games played very differently, The Matrix Online and The Matrix: Path Of Neo were released in 2005. The Matrix Online had difficulty maintaining its player base due to several factors, such as its combat and repetitive content, which can be a struggle for story-based MMOs. On the other hand, the Matrix: Path Of Neo received mixed reactions from critics as the game suffered from clunky gameplay.
Warner Bros. Entertainment (who created the generally favorable Hogwarts Legacy) partly owns the franchise and might be able to revive its Matrix video games.
Remakes of the Old Matrix Games
Franchises such as Final Fantasy and Resident Evil released several remasters and remakes during the last five years. Not only did these remakes recapture the interest of long-time fans, but they also reintroduced these franchises to a younger generation and new fans. The Matrix has fantastic lore that can be expanded and elaborated, just like how Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 introduced the franchise to new players.
Other titles, such as The Witcher 3 and God of War, had a resurgence of fans after their recent releases. Considering how massive The Matrix is as a franchise, it has the potential to grow even more thanks to new fans brought in by a video game remake.
Cyberpunk Is Now More Familiar to Gamers Than It Was Before
The lack of popular cyberpunk games during The Matrix Online's era also caused many gamers to overlook the genre. While The Matrix Online was ambitious in its approach to the MMO genre, cyberpunk, and dystopian future themes weren't as popular as Resident Evil 4 and the first God of War.
Now that more cyberpunk games and movies are in pop culture, fans could easily grasp the themes and settings of a current-gen Matrix game. The Matrix lead actor Keanu Reeves also appeared in the game Cyberpunk 2077, which further helps new fans of the franchise to relate to the cyberpunk theme that Matrix has.
Warner Bros Can Push the Franchise to the Limit With New Tech and Hardware
The Matrix Awakens perfectly demonstrated the capabilities of Unreal Engine 5 in the world of The Matrix. Featuring iconic Matrix characters Neo and Trinity, the Unreal Engine 5 demo delves into next-gen gaming technology. The free demo is available to both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players and garnered several positive reviews, with some critics saying that it is an "unreal" experience.
Sony recently announced the latest addition to the PlayStation 5 lineup, the PS5 Pro. The console may not be perfect budget-wise, but the technology it aims to provide looks excellent on paper. Should Warner Bros decide to create a new Matrix game, the current and next-gen hardware will surely push the limits of the franchise's games.
The Matrix Awakens Is Stunningly Beautiful in Unreal Engine 5
The Matrix Awakens, as a demo, perfectly showcases what the new tech is capable of and how much potential The Matrix has when it comes to current-gen video games. It has a runtime of less than one hour, but it does a great job showcasing the universe of The Matrix. Add several other current-gen mechanics and the iconic bullet time from the movies, and The Matrix has the workings of a potentially fantastic video game.
The advancements in AI tech can revolutionize the Matrix's overworld by improving how NPCs and enemies react to changes in the environment or different decisions made by the player. Warner Bros can also utilize the ever-popular Nemesis System from Shadow of Mordor and combine it with new AI tech, creating a Matrix world that is livelier and dynamic. Imagine having enemy agents plot against Neo just because he telepathically bent their spoon or morphed the road as they passed through - Matrix fans are in for a treat. Warner Bros. and The Wachowskis have the tools to craft a Matrix game that breaks boundaries if they dare to choose the red pill.
With rumors and news about the latest Matrix 5 movie resurfacing again online, now may be the best time to revive the franchise's video games and deliver something that old and new fans of The Matrix will love.
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