Research Project on The Matrix

I was recently contacted by a gentleman named Peter (I'll withhold his last name, and no, it's not Griffin), who is a student at the Sheffield Hallam University, and located my e-mail address via the redpillalliance.com website.  In his e-mail, he expained that he is currently doing a research project on The Matrix (transmedia story-telling, to be specific), and that he would like to pick the brains of the MxO community.

The research is into transmedia storytelling, which, in case you don't know, is narritives that are told through multiple media, such as The Matrix, Star Wars, etc. What follows is his e-mail, with questions for you to answer (if you'd be so kind.):

Hi Cody

Thank you for your quick reply, I've started reading the storyline on
mxostory.com but there's quite a bit to get through so think it'll take me a
while. There are two main questions I would like to get your response to and
also have you post on the MxO boards, if you don't mind.

First, if there was to be more new content for the Matrix franchise what medium
would you want it delivered on? The obvious options people might choose to me
were film, game, book, comic, and animation. If there are other mediums you
would prefer to see content on that's great. I really want to see what ideas
fans have about where they would like the Matrix to go. In relation to this
question I'd like to know why you, and others, choose a particular medium, and
also because you and everyone else on the MxO boards has played MxO, would you
want some of the story from MxO told in this new medium or a brand new story
content.

Second, with MxO closing down (or not as we hope) would you say that the Matrix
franchise has 'died' and why? Obviously it will never be 'dead' but with no new
content and seemingly the end of MxO it seems that the Matrix is over.

I'd love to have your thoughts on these two questions, and if you could post
them on the MxO boards that would be great. These are two quite big issues that
are going to be more like debates, or almost essays, rather than just simple
answers but if you're willing to answer that would be great and if this seems
kind of one-way and you want to know my take on these questions feel free to
ask as well, I have my own ideas but obviously they come from a different
perspective than yours will because I've never played MxO and I'm quite
pragmatic about such things.

Regards

Peter

First question: I'd love to see more "Animatrix" shorts and more "Matrix" comics, but I would also like to see prose novels written as well; there's a ton of backstory we only know a little bit about and it would be a fascinating means to fill in the gaps. I'm just getting into pen-and-paper RPGs, so I'd love to see an series of sourcebooks for that kind of RPG set in the Matrix-verse.

Second question: To me, the Matrix isn't so much a franchise as it's a mythos, and even if no more licensed media is produced and MxO is shuttered, it won't have died for me. As long as people watch the movies and play the console games and as long as fans log onto message boards and discuss (and argue about) this world and the characters in it, the mythos will be alive, the Matrix will still have us.

If the Matrix were to continue in another medium, I wouldn't mind a tv series similar to Stargate SG-1.  Slightly episodic, maybe centered around a hovercraft crew, with a larger over-arcing storyline.

In my opinion, I think the show could use MxO for ideas, but in general should just disregard the whole MxO story.  The story became so butchered and bastardized towards the end, that I don't think it would translate well to your average viewer or Matrix fan.

I think people will continue to watch the core Matrix movies...  but for all intents and purposes, the franchise is dead.  Where as other franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings) have continued on in additional movies, tv shows, comics, novels, videogames, etc.  The Matrix franchise has pretty much sat and stagnated.

Should we put the answers here or email him?  You can PM me his email address if you want to.

Phrack wrote:

First, if there was to be more new content for the Matrix franchise what medium
would you want it delivered on? The obvious options people might choose to me
were film, game, book, comic, and animation. If there are other mediums you
would prefer to see content on that's great. I really want to see what ideas
fans have about where they would like the Matrix to go. In relation to this
question I'd like to know why you, and others, choose a particular medium, and
also because you and everyone else on the MxO boards has played MxO, would you
want some of the story from MxO told in this new medium or a brand new story
content.

If The Matrix were to be portrayed in other mediums, I would most like to see an animated series similar to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Aside from an animated series, I would also like to see some better quality console games, particularly better than Enter the Matrix and Path of Neo. A third installment of The Matrix Comics would be great, too.

For the animated series, I would really like to see an entirely different story arc from The Matrix Online, mainly because I know where it heads and am not pleased with the end result. For console games, I loved the idea of a Seraph game that explained his origin. A prequel storyline for The Matrix (I) would please me. And continuing with Matrix Universe sidestories for a third Comic, hopefully touching upon MxO characters (players) would also please me very much due to our commitment and contribution to the franchise.

Phrack wrote:

Second, with MxO closing down (or not as we hope) would you say that the Matrix
franchise has 'died' and why? Obviously it will never be 'dead' but with no new
content and seemingly the end of MxO it seems that the Matrix is over.

When the Matrix Online finally shuts down, I will agree that the Matrix has 'died', as you put it. That being my opinion because there would be nothing out there to keep the torch lit other than unofficial fansites. I would disagree that The Matrix as an idea will ever die out. It has had too deep of an impact on out cultrure. The first Matrix movie broke new ground in film-making that is seldom matched a decade later. The cult follow is very wide and, unfortunately, only weakened by sub-par attempts to keep the franchise going. Enter the Matrix and The Matrix Online have hurt the franchise in the video game media by not only failing to broaden the audience to the Matrix with poor, rushed-into-release products that are bug-ridden and, at times, unplayable. Rather than retaining thier hardcore fanatics, this turns many of them off.

I think The Matrix, as a franchise, is definately dead. For now.

You see following the success of the first film, Warner Bros invested heavily into trying to make it another Star Wars or Star Trek. It was all planned for a property explosion. The films, the games, the comics, it was meant to go so well. But for whatever reason, it didn't take. The investment failed.

And here we stand, the sequels are not looked upon fondly by the general consumer and the games are generally considered "failures". Yes, the Mythos still lives on in the hearts of fans and those who see the philosophical aspects of the whole thing but as a consumer product, its become wholey niche.

Sure, the franchise could be revived, continued, "reloaded" as it were, but at this point all the corporate parties have made it pretty clear they don't want to risk another failure. This game and it's treatment over the last 4 years is proof enough of that.

But that doesn't stop me, and no doubt other fans, from hoping that somewhere down the road things might be different. Maybe the people in charge of the IP will realise the potential, maybe the whole thing could change hands. We just don't know. But it's happened before. Look at fallout.

As for a personal preferance to a continuation? I want this game to have some sort of influence, not be entirely forgotten. Too many fans have invested too much time into to just toss aside. I think its fairly obvious some aspects wouldn't translate well into other mediums or a franchise refresh but others, such as the backstory to certain characters as well as the Oligarch backstory definately lead themselves to fleshing out for the general public. Not in new films, no, they'd have way too much riding on them to have heavy reliance on anything from the first franchise attempt that might risk alienating potential audiences. But new animated works or a TV series could work, definately.

I think the bottom line is it takes will to make something happen and given the relative flop of The Matrix franchise, that will simply isn't where it matters, in the people who own the franchise and can do something with it. Until that changes, it's dead.

ArchDuke wrote:

Should we put the answers here or email him?  You can PM me his email address if you want to.

He has the link to this thread, and will be looking over your replies.

Fen wrote:

If the Matrix were to continue in another medium, I wouldn't mind a tv series similar to Stargate SG-1.  Slightly episodic, maybe centered around a hovercraft crew, with a larger over-arcing storyline.

This, I would love to see something like this.

Fen wrote:

If the Matrix were to continue in another medium, I wouldn't mind a tv series similar to Stargate SG-1.  Slightly episodic, maybe centered around a hovercraft crew, with a larger over-arcing storyline.

In my opinion, I think the show could use MxO for ideas, but in general should just disregard the whole MxO story.  The story became so butchered and bastardized towards the end, that I don't think it would translate well to your average viewer or Matrix fan.

I think people will continue to watch the core Matrix movies...  but for all intents and purposes, the franchise is dead.  Where as other franchises (Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings) have continued on in additional movies, tv shows, comics, novels, videogames, etc.  The Matrix franchise has pretty much sat and stagnated.

Yeah, TV series is something I've thought would be cool too. My thought was something more like a mini-series, mini-movies exploring stories implied from the Matrix past. (i.e. I've always wanted to know the story behind that little exchange between Morpheus and Niobe in Revolutions when she suggests piloting a maintenance shaft and he says "that was a long time ago". I could see a whole little mini-movie around that little story.)

I agree that the Franchise may be past its prime but.... How long was it between Star Trek's going off the air and the first movie? How long did it take Lucas to follow up the Star Wars movies? Just because we haven't seen anything yet doesn't mean the Matrix is dead.

A continued comic storyline just like the one Dark Horse got their hands on with Star Wars when everyone thought Star Wars comics was over and done. Now that's what I'd like to see... a big company publishing this kind of mature philosophical story - Allan Moore comes to mind as the artist and writer

Working script: giiiiiiiiiiiant Sentinel crashes into New Zion. None survive.

Synapse777 wrote:

A continued comic storyline just like the one Dark Horse got their hands on with Star Wars when everyone thought Star Wars comics was over and done. Now that's what I'd like to see... a big company publishing this kind of mature philosophical story

This, led either by Moore or someone else.

Who would have thought that Star Wars I, II & III would become IV, V & VI? Well there is a lot that 'went on' B4 Neo swallowed the red pill and why can't the sky get cleaned up? You can go either direction really.

Animation or TV series I would prefer to something 'printed'. Yet even as I write this there are ppl watching the Matrix for the 1st time - getting hooked as surely as we are; so I like to hope that the franchise is dormant rather than dead.  Look what was done with Battlestar Galactica after it was 'dead'.

Impossible to do maybe but it would be sweet to have the outcomes or direction of story of some of the these animations/series episodes determined by gameplay that happened in MxO.

As for the seeminly end of MxO? If it does end so too ends my $ flowing out of my pockets to anything SOE offers now or future and then to me the Matrix will be dead.  

If "The Matrix" content were to be continued, my medium of choice would be gaming. Videogames are probably my biggest hobby because of the interactivity and control. One of the greatest parts of MxO was being a player in the universe, not just a spectator like every other medium. Even non-MMO games like Enter the Matrix and Path of Neo were very fun and I wouldn't mind something like those as well. I would also really like more comics and more animation short-films, but gaming would be my primary medium. I think the movies were amazing and they have served their purpose, but I don't think anymore good movies could be made on this franchise. I personally think that the MxO story should stay in MxO.

I agree with you that The Matrix Franchise will never "die", but I think it has come to its end in that no more story will be told, and you have pretty much everything now. I lot of people pick and choose on what they consider to be "cannon" Matrix story. I personally consider everything that's been released (The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, The Animatrix, Enter the Matrix, Path of Neo, The Matrix Online Chpt. 1-14, and all comics) to be cannon, but some people only consider the original film "The Matrix" to be the true story. Obviously, it's open for interpretation, whether intentionally or otherwise.