November 17^th, 2005 (2:30pm) - An exciting new addition is coming to the world of The Matrix Online. As part of Update 38 Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will be introducing Massive in-game advertising to The Matrix Online. For long-time community members, and those of you who play Planetside, it will be a familiar part of the game.

Real-world advertisements will begin appearing on billboards around the Mega City after Update 38 goes live. Just like real-world billboards, they’ll change to feature new advertisements over time. (Don’t worry: Your favorite ads for Slumberil, The Sentinel, etc., will remain a part of the game.) These static advertisements will not affect game performance in any way.

The inclusion of Massive in-game advertising opens up the possibility of something many community members have been asking for, player advertising around Mega City. SOE will be looking into the idea of running contests for selecting player-generated ads in the future as a way of incorporating these ads into the game. Once SOE have confirmed they can do this, they’ll will make an announcement on Data Node One.