Warner Bros. Online has selected IBM to provide the on-demand technology and services to power The Matrix Online, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), co-published with SEGA of America.

Based on The Matrix film trilogy, The Matrix Online will be released in North America on 22 March 2005 and in Europe on 8 April 2005.

"Warner Bros. Online is working with IBM to help build a flexible, resilient infrastructure that will be able to `continue the saga' of The Matrix trilogy and support the complex demands of a MMORPG," said Jim Noonan, senior vice president and general manager of Warner Bros. Online.

To support The Matrix Online, Warner Bros. Online will implement IBM hardware, including IBM eServer pSeries systems and IBM eServer xSeries systems for overall infrastructure support. In addition, Warner Bros. Online will deploy IBM WebSphere Application Server for registration and billing; and IBM software to map out a blueprint that helps create a seamless environment for rapid design, integration, construction and deployment.