After an at times turbulent four years on the market Sony Online Entertainment is to turn off the servers to virtual world The Matrix Online on July 31st.

“Now we’ve seen how far the rabbit hole goes and it’s time to wake up from that dream (or go back to sleep, depending how you look at it),” producer Dan Myers said on The Matrix Online forums.

“On July 31, 2009, we will be jacking out for the last time. It’s a bittersweet moment for everyone involved with the game; as a player or as a developer.

“In May 2004, I embarked upon a journey. It was a brand new world – a vision of online games that didn’t involve elves, spaceships, or dragons. We became part of the Matrix storyline; living our own adventures in the world painted by the movies.

“It has been a good run. Where many games have fizzled out before or shortly after launch, by August we will have lived on in our home at SOE for more than four years. To this day, I have never worked with a community as dedicated as The Matrix Online community.”