Matrix Online has come up with another the Other Side of the Looking Glass. In this issue it was revealed that update 45 was on in the final phase and was schedule to release on July 20.

It’s been busy for a short week, both on the development and the community side. We’re putting final touches on Update 45 and are still aiming to release it on Thursday, July 20. We’ll have more on that next week, but I want to take some time to address community issues today.

Bursting the Bubbly

In case you missed it, information about a hidden forum called the “Champagne Room” was “leaked” to the community. This forum was opened to a specific group of players to help provide directed feedback about the game.

As with LESIG, players were asked not to talk about the group outside of that forum. When the information got out, an unfortunate series of events led to some misunderstandings and hard feelings.

Once the information got out, there was no real reason to hide or deny it, other than we’d asked players not to talk about it. By trying to hush the leak up as it was investigated, it made it appear there was something that needed to be hidden. And, with a name like “Champagne Room” and no information about how players were selected, the cries of favoritism began.

While feedback groups are important, this was handled poorly, both in design of the group and in handling of the situation. We will be having feedback groups in the future, but information on how those will work must wait until we have time to rethink the program.