Matrix Online hires actors for key roles

With less than a month to go until the game's European launch, Sega has announced that professionals have been hired to take on major roles in The Matrix Online.

The "specialised Role Playing Live Events Team" will give players the chance interact with characters from the films - so you might find yourself consulting the Oracle, battling the Merovingian or going for a curry with Morpheus. (Okay, maybe not the last one, but we can dream.)

The team will also be responsible for engineering large scale story events, such as rallies, riots and even street parties. They'll support events organised by players too, and will take part in high-profile missions and contests.

The Matrix Online is being developed by US firm Monolith, also responsible for the forthcoming (and rather excellent-looking) F.E.A.R. The game will be released in the US on March 22, but Sega won't be dishing out the red pills to European gamers until April 8.