Theories are being exchanged as The Matrix Awakens is being delisted on 9 July 2022, without reason. Could a full game be on the way?
Epic revealed and released The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience during The Game Awards in 2021. The demo was designed to show off the power of the engine and what they describe as “the future of interactive storytelling”. It was recently announced that the demo would be delisted soon from the PlayStation and Xbox storefronts on 9 July 2022.
Although Epic did not release a statement regarding the reason why they will be delisting the demo, they did announce the following:
“Not explored The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience yet? There’s still time! The UE5 tech demo will only be available in stores until July 9. Download it before that date and you’ll still be able to access the demo going forward – or re-download it if you’ve deleted it from your console.”
Currently, the demo is only available via PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, so it’s important to note that once it’s gone from both platforms’ storefronts, it will be gone forever.
The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience
In the demo, players play as a human resistance fighter that is taking part in a high-speed chase along with Neo and Trinity, as they are being pursued by Agents. With some throwbacks to the original Matrix movies and an action-packed car chase, the demo truly embodies the action and sci-fi entertainment of the franchise. Following the chase sequence, players can explore the environments witnessed being able to switch between first and third-person perspectives, as well as explore some of the features of Unreal Engine 5.
Co-creator of The Matrix franchise Lana Wachowski wrote the demo experience starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss reprising their respective roles as Neo and Trinity.
Why Is the Demo Being Delisted?
There have been plenty of theories circulating about why the demo experience is being delisted from the PlayStation and Xbox storefronts.
As with most games, the first possibility is that there is a licensing issue. If the company was not able to secure the correct licensing for the experience, it would have to take the experience off the market as well as deal with copyright issues.
The other, fan-favoured, reason is that if Epic or another company has a full game based on The Matrix Awakens in the works, they would need to take down the demo in preparation for the game’s announcement or release. With the recent movie sparking favour and interest for the franchise once again, fans are hopeful that there will be a new Matrix game in production.
With the first Matrix movie having been released back in 1999, it is wonderful to see how well the franchise has aged over the last 23 years. While we were recently graced with a movie to top off the franchise, a game would no doubt elate long-time fans, especially in the beautiful and modern Unreal Engine 5.
