The Matrix going online later than expected

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has decided to put back the release of The Matrix Online in order to give developer Monolith more time to add polish, the company announced this week. The ambitious MMORPG, set to be published by SEGA, will now launch in spring rather than mid-January.

However there is some good news for Matrix fans - WBIE has also announced a partnership with DC Comics to produce a Matrix Online fanzine that will, in the words of senior veepee Jason Hall, "completely focus on The Matrix Online, and more importantly, the users." Specifics on the fanzine will be released via the game's website and distributed directly to those involved in the ongoing beta test.

On the subject of the delay, Hall insisted that Monolith were prepared to meet its January deadline, and that "ultimately it was WBIE that made the assessment". "We're going to do the right things, to be a studio that makes the right decisions for the product and for the consumer," Hall added. The WBIE man has been outspoken in the past about his opinions on the quality of licensed games, and prompted consternation amongst some of his contemporaries recently when he suggested that game publishers should be penalised financially if critical reaction to their work was unfavourable.

If his influence on projects like The Matrix Online leads to better games, though, doubtless it'll be worthwhile - and help WBIE establish itself as a trustworthy games firm.