E3 2002: Shiny's Matrix game goes cross-platform

Infogrames has announced that the Matrix game in development by Shiny will be a cross-platform release for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and the PC. Enter the Matrix, as the game is now called, was 2714857previously announced to be exclusive for the Xbox for at least six months as the result of a $5 million deal that Microsoft had made with Interplay. The game is now scheduled for a simultaneous release on all platforms concurrently with the release of the next motion picture, The Matrix Reloaded, next year. While there was no news at the time of Shiny's $47 million sale to Infogrames on how it would affect Microsoft's investment, this announcement reveals conclusive changes for the game's future.

Few specifics are known about the action game, other than that it will contain locations, characters, and weapons from the first Matrix movie and its upcoming sequel. "The Matrix redefined the action genre for the film industry and movie audiences, and the never-before-seen gameplay and technology behind Enter The Matrix will redefine next-generation video games," said Bruno Bonnell, Infogrames' CEO. "There has been extensive creative crossover that has taken place in the development of the film and the game."

Enter the Matrix is planned for simultaneous release on PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and the PC in May 2003, when the next Matrix movie, The Matrix Reloaded, is due to hit theaters. Infogrames isn't showing the game at E3, but at its booth it will have the first official movie trailer for both The Matrix Reloaded and the third movie, The Matrix Revolutions.