Greetings from Bellevue! I'm happy to announce that the development team has successfully been moved to our new home here at SOE-Seattle in Bellevue. It's been quite a flurry of activity as we get settled into our new office. The team has hit the ground running, full steam ahead!

I'd like to take this opportunity to speak to some concerns we have been hearing from the community:

Development Team

The development team has made the transition to the SOE Seattle office. In addition, we are excited to have Paul Chadwick on board to help continue the saga of The Matrix. We have a solid, motivated group. Morale is high and the team is in the process of executing a series of changes that are going to add to an already promising game. As you can imagine, there are a few MMO players here at SOE. Well more than a few, there are hundreds. Some of the best game designers and avid MMO developers in the business are helping us with their thoughts and observations. We are considering all the great feedback we have received from the The Matrix Online community via petitions, the message boards and emails, combined with our own play experience as we chart the future of The Matrix Online.

Content Updates

The development team is hard at work, planning, prototyping and testing new systems and enhancements to the existing systems. This is our opportunity to take what makes The Matrix Online great and expand on those ideas to make it even better. There are no "sacred cows", if it's not fun then it's our job to make it fun!

Soon you will get your first taste of Pandora's Box. You also will continue to see story mission updates. In terms of game systems, on the top of our list is Combat, Archetypes, End-Game content and New-Player experience. In addition to fixing bugs that are standing in the way of our "fun factor", we are considering some significant changes that will breathe new life into the world.

Live Events

The live event team continues to thrill us all with their stunning exploits. Over the next month the community team at SOE, with the help of Paul Chadwick and the designers in Seattle, will be working hard on future live events. Stay tuned for more information.

Billing Changes Soon, SOE will be taking over the responsibilities for managing the billing system and the associated customer support. Details for how you will be able to link your in-game character data to your new or existing SOE Station account will be forthcoming. This process will be quick and painless, much like taking the red pill though I assure you it will not "feel a little weird". In addition to the usual billing options, you will have the opportunity to create a "Station Access" account that will allow you to play all the other great SOE titles like EQ, EQ2, PlanetSide, and SWG.

Customer Service

SOE Customer Service has been fielding your petitions since July 15th. The CS team at Monolith has been instrumental at helping the SOE team come up to speed with our systems, how petitions are escalated and resolved. The SOE CS team is top notch and we haven't skipped a beat. You should continue to expect the best from these guys.

Community

SOE is very active when it comes to fostering a strong community. This commitment to the players is going to translate quite well for The Matrix Online. You can expect to see a lot more of the likes of me and Walrus, in-game, on the boards, and in person. I'm looking forward to our first chance to meet you all in person soon!

- Andy

Andrew Kaplan
Producer, The Matrix Online
Sony Online Entertainment

Posted by Walrus