The Matrix Awakens has vanished from PlayStation and Xbox stores
The Matrix Awakens was a gaming event that nobody really saw coming, but in actuality, it made perfect sense. The fresh crossover that coincided nicely with The Matrix: Resurrections was designed as a way to truly flex the capabilities of the new-gen consoles it made home, and blimey, did it flex.
With next-level visuals, rendering unlike anything we'd ever seen before, and a Keanu Reeves model that looks like it was really him, it was phenomenally impressive. All the while, it maintained the weird meta stylings of the Matrix series. But now, if you missed out on it, you've missed out for good.
The Matrix Awakens removed from digital storefronts
After expectations that it wouldn't be around forever when it first launched on December 9 2021, The Matrix Awakens has now been delisted from digital storefronts. This means that the game simply can't be downloaded anymore - even if you'd already downloaded it beforehand and deleted it after playing.
So, if you haven't got The Matrix Awakens installed by now, you're out of luck. Unfortunately, you'll never get to bag it again and explore the future of gaming in Unreal Engine 5. Can we get an F in the chat?
The removal from the store was flagged up on the game's day of release on the demo's site by Epic Games, which said "Not explored The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience yet? There's still time! The UE5 tech demo will only be available in stores until July 9. Download it before that date and you'll still be able to access the demo going forward - or re-download it if you've deleted it from your console."
Why the Matrix Awakens probably won't be back
There hasn't been a reason expressed for why this tech demo has been stripped from stores, but it's fairly typical for them not to last on stores for the entirety of the consoles it's looking to show off. There are also presumptions that there have been some issues with maintaining the rights from Warner Bros and Lana Wachowski, and as the demo launched alongside The Matrix Resurrections, there's every chance that it was made in the first place mainly to promote the film.
Whatever the reason may be, one thing is set in stone - and that's that The Matrix Awakens is done for. Much like when the P.T. demo for Silent Hill kicked the bucket, this is just another demo lost to the ages. Oh well, you should've taken the red pill when you had the chance.
