GameSpot has puiblished a very detailed interview with John Smedley of SOE and Jason Hall of WBIE, filling in a lot of the blanks left behind by the SOE transition press release. There's a wide-ranging discussion touching on marketing, Station Access, future development, pricing, and of course the DC universe MMO. One statistic that shocked us:

GS: NPD says 40,000 units of the game sold since its March launch...

Walrus has posted a Transition FAQ, which answers a lot of questions regarding MxO's transition to SOE. Check that space for imformation as it will surely be updated as information comes in.

In a press release today, Warner and SOE announced that SOE will indeed take the helm of MxO. Additionally, SOE will take over development of the new DC Comics MMO, due in the fourth quarter of 2007.

While it stands to reason that some people working on the project will be offered jobs at SOE, it's doubtless many people will lose their jobs as a result of the transition. I've enjoyed working with everyone at Monolith, and I hope I get to continue working with as many of them as possible. My sympathies and best wishes go out to those who won't be fortunate enough to make the transition cut.

Personal sentiments aside, I can't help but see this as an overall positive for the game. SOE is a very experienced player in the MMO market (EQ, EQ II, PlanetSide, SWG), and has unique experience with sci-fi franchise MMOs (Star Wars: Galaxies). The resources and experience SOE will bring to bear on MxO can only mean that the game will improve over the longer haul.

We still haven't received any word from Warner Brothers' corporate offices regarding the rumor that SOE might take over the helm of The Matrix Online. However, we've noticed that Monolith's job listings have suddenly all disappeared. The last we checked (about a week ago), there were at least a dozen "MMP Title" related jobs.

Based on the lack of a denial from WB, the lack of comment from SOE and the disappearing job postings at Monolith, we believe this rumor to be fact. Stay tuned; we'll keep you updated as we get more information.

In a story published today, IGN's Dan Adams discusses a rumor: that development of The Matrix Online might be taken over by Sony Online Entertainment, with Monolith bowing out of all MMO production and focusing on single player games.

What will this mean for MxO? Questions to Warner Brothers PR were rebuffed. We were told that any communications regarding the matter would have to go all the way to Warner Brothers' corporate offices.

Stay tuned, and we'll be sure to keep you updated.

City Power Outage Notice (6/9/99)

City Power attempts to provide continuous, uninterrupted electricity to all customers. However, equipment failures and inclement weather can cause unscheduled outages without warning.

This week’s rolling blackouts are currently under control, and reports that these wave-like incidents continue are being investigated.

City Power continues to work closely with the city government on this issue. Their assistance, and yours, will assure a quicker resolution to this series of incidents.

City government urges all customers to maintain a normal schedule, and be vigilant for anything out of the ordinary in their electrical appliances. Examples include an unusual red glow, or flickering in any LEDs attached to the appliance.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Thank you for using City Power. We rely on you!

## Broadcast depth
## Incoming Transmission…
## ZION ALERT
## MISSING/PRESUMED INJURED [4r34 – ReCVR]

Neurophyte
[Anne Simpson]
Pilot, Zion HvCFT 227, Novalis II
Sex: Female
Height: 162 cm
Weight: 61 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
Approximate Age: 18

RSI Hair Color: White
RSI Eye Color: Yellow
RSI Distinguishing Features: Painted red stripe across eyes.

Circumstances:
Operative Neurophyte traveled, alone, into the Desert of the Real on a non-standard transport to investigate rumors of unusual activity on the outskirts of the Machine City. After receiving regular coded updates, her transponder and bio-electric monitor both went offline simultaneously.

Neurophyte is on her first solo mission, and the first Zion-sanctioned mission outside the normal broadcast lanes.

We have reason to believe Neurophyte is somehow jacked into the Matrix via a non-standard interface, and that she is in need of medical assistance.

Our warrior must be found. We cannot allow Neurophyte to be interrogated by any other Organization. Assist any attempts to find her in either the Matrix or the Real.

## ALERT END
## End Transmission…

Okay, so we haven't posted any news in a while. We apologize. Here's a catch-up of the last week or so in MxO:

• 5/26: Morpheus died (our last posted news article before this one).
• 5/26: Machine representative Agent Skinner died.
• 5/27: A creature conprised of a cloud of flies (being called "the Corrupted" was spotted laying waste to Redpills all over Megacity.
• 5/28: Morpheus' funeral was held. The Corrupted are found to have ties to Morpheus' assassin.
• 5/29: The Machines introduce Agent Skinner's replacement, Agent Pace. Agent Pace's program is supposedly designed based on Machinist redpill feedback. The Corrupted were defeated.
• 5/31: Walrus released another Other Side of the Looking Glass community feature.
• 5/31: A massive list of updates and fixes Currently In Testing was released.
• 6/1: Patch notes for Patch 7.3856 were released.
• 6/2: Radio Free Zion is no more. It has been reincarnated under new management with a new name: Awakened Radio.