Rumor: Matrix coming to PSP and <i>all</i> next-gen consoles?

What we heard: This morning, Shiny sent out an e-mail blast to the games press announcing that it was hiring new programmers. But unlike most hiring spam, two of the job listings listed in the e-mail garnered interest beyond the usual job-seekers and headhunters.

First up was a listing for a "PSP Programmer." Though the listing gave no information about the game, it would be Shiny's first for Sony's portable. Given that most PSP games to date have been ports of existing PlayStation 2 games, odds are this listing is for an as-yet-unannounced portable port of the recent multiconsole release, The Matrix: The Path of Neo.

A second Shiny job listing is of particular interest to those watching the next-gen console race. Though ostensibly for an "Xbox 360 Programmer" position, the listing also asks that applicants be able to work "together with PlayStation 3 and Revolution programmers on converting existing code base to run on Xbox 360." Since CEO Bruno Bonnell told a 2004 investors' conference that a next-gen Matrix game was likely in the development pipeline, the Shiny ads seemed to confirm Neo would jack into all three consoles.

However, it appears now that a next-gen Matrix might not be happening. Though Shiny has specialized in games based on The Matrix films in the past, it could be on the verge of announcing an original intellectual property. At least, that's the impression given by the shop's founder and CEO, David Perry. "People keep asking what I will do 'after' Matrix," he told GameSpot. "The answer is I've got more new ideas than I have staff!" However, when asked about what project the developers being hired would work on, Perry began speaking in Morpheus-esque riddles. "This job posting is one of many for new things I have in the pipeline.... Over the next six months, it will become more obvious why I need to expand. I hope that's cryptic enough!"

Bogus or not bogus?: Given the ease of porting from PS2 to PSP, Atari would be crazy not to make a handheld Matrix. However, Path of Neo's underperformance may stop the franchise from going next-gen. That, or Shiny may simply not be working on the project....