| The Matrix Awakens | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Developer(s) | Epic Games |
| Publisher(s) | Epic Games |
| Director(s) | |
| Producer(s) | John Gaeta |
| Programmer(s) | Jeff Farris |
| Artist(s) | Jerome Platteaux |
| Writer(s) |
|
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | December 9, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Matrix Awakens is a 2021 open-world video game and technology demonstration developed by Epic Games using Unreal Engine 5 in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures, The Coalition, Wētā FX, Evil Eye Pictures, SideFX, and others for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, serving as a marketing tie-in for the 2021 film The Matrix Resurrections.
Released during the 2021 Game Awards on December 9, 2021, it features Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Neo (Keanu Reeves), along with photorealistic 3D-scanned models of both Moss and Reeves from the present time, portrayed by themselves, in cinematic and QTE shooter scenes where the player can take control of IO, a character which Epic introduced with Unreal's MetaHuman creator tool.[1][2][3][4]
While the demo did not get a PC release, Epic released the city environment in the demo as a sample project titled "City Sample" in their Unreal Engine 5 workshop. This was immediately used by fans to generate a Windows executable package in which the city can be navigated, offering the ability to control several parameters of the game engine, the game also features NPCs with AI that will generate conversations when players use the audio.[5] The assets were also reused later in several fan-made demos featuring characters such as Spider-Man and Batman. The game was later delisted on July 9, 2022.[6]
- ^ Zwiezen, Zack (December 9, 2021). "Surprise: The Matrix Unreal Demo Is A Simple, Weirdly Fun Open-World Game". Yahoo! Finance. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (December 10, 2021). "Inside 'The Matrix Awakens': Epic Games Releases a Massive, Playable $15 Demo to Showcase Unreal Engine 5". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ Tom, Warren (December 6, 2021). "The Matrix Awakens is an interactive tech demo for PS5 and Xbox Series X / S". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Egan, Toussaint (December 9, 2021). "The Matrix Awakens imagines the future of storytelling in Unreal Engine 5". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ Wilde, Tyler (April 5, 2022). "The Unreal Engine 5 Matrix demo is now on PC, kind of". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024.
- ^ Carson, John (July 6, 2022). "The Matrix Awakens Will Be Delisted This Week". Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.