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Epic Games confirmed the release of an upcoming demo of its Unreal Engine 5 called “The Matrix Awakens.” However, video game fans who have been waiting for a new game should manage their expectations because the demo does not appear to be a full game experience and would launch merely as a film tie-in for “The Matrix Resurrections.”
The company released the official teaser for “The Matrix Awakens” on Monday after the Unreal Engine 5 demo was leaked from the PlayStation Network backend last week. It is unclear if the demo has any playable content, but Epic Games suggest it may have some interactive features. The company writes in the trailer’s YouTube description, “Get ready for a glimpse into the future of interactive storytelling and entertainment with UE5.”
Along with the release of the official teaser, Epic Games also launched a dedicated website for “The Matrix Awakens,” where fans will be greeted with the profound question, “How do we know what’s real?” While it is obviously a nod to the main theme of “The Matrix” film franchise, it also seems like a play on Unreal Engine 5’s promise to deliver very realistic graphics in future games.
The same question is also asked in the video teaser by none other than Keanu Reeves, who will reprise his main protagonist role in “The Matrix Resurrections” that will premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Reeves’ appearance in the 15-second trailer also offers a sneak peek into how realistic CG graphics will be with Unreal Engine 5. In case some fans missed it, the actor’s appearance in the teaser is only a computer-generated image. But it does look so realistic and life-like that it appears like a live-action video.
Not surprisingly, “The Matrix Awakens” demo will only be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S since the current-generation consoles will likely be the best platforms to sample what Unreal Engine 5 can do. While there are high-end PCs that can do the same, it is unknown while Epic Games opted to only release the demo on consoles.
“The Matrix Awakens” will be released for free and on the same day as The Game Awards on Thursday, Dec. 9. But PS5 and Xbox Series X/S users can now pre-download the Unreal Engine 5 demo through these links.
