Sony Online Entertainment has announced that it will be ending service of The Matrix Online on July 31. Commercial services will be suspended on June 1, which means there will no longer be any customer support or game updates, but you'll still be able to play until the game is shut down.

Active Matrix Online subscribers in good standing will be able to play Free Realms, EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Star Wars Galaxies for free from June 1 to July 31 using their Station Launcher account. While SOE hopes MxO players will switch over to one of their other games, they still plan on taking the Matrix out with a bang:

"During the last two weeks that MxO will be available, we intend to initiate a world-ending event and invite our active MxO subscribers with accounts in good standing to participate in bringing Mega City down together.  We will go out with the same level of dramatic in-game event that has kept this game exciting over the years.  Get ready to jack in and become part of the final chapter of the story!"

You can read the full announcement after the jump.

*Please log in to your Station Account to update your billing address. If a valid credit card is active on your account, refunds will be applied to such credit card. If your account is paid via SOE Game Card or other retail game time card, we will send a check in the refund amount to your current billing address.

**Offer valid between June 1, 2009 and July 31, 2009. 
If, as of June 1, 2009, you are not already a subscriber to Station Access, EverQuest, EverQuest II or Star Wars Galaxies or have a paid membership to Free Realms, this offer will provide you with access to the current retail versions of EverQuest® Seeds of Destruction™, EverQuest® II The Shadow Odyssey, Star Wars Galaxies™: Complete Online Adventures, and full membership status to Free Realms (greater access than the current trial versions of such games and non-membership status to Free Realms ) through July 31, 2009.

If, as of June 1, 2009, you have an active Station Access subscription or subscription in good standing to one or more of these games, but have not purchased the game software for EverQuest® Seeds of Destruction™, EverQuest® II The Shadow Odyssey, or Star Wars Galaxies™ Complete Online Adventures, this offer will provide you with the opportunity to experience these games until July 31, 2009. With respect to Free Realms, if you do not have a Station Access subscription or full membership to Free Realms as of June 1, 2009, you can experience full membership status through July 31, 2009.

The playtime described above cannot be used as a credit toward any subscription or membership, including a Station Access subscription. To play any of the SOE games listed above, you must register for or have a Station Account. During this period of gameplay, your game access to these games will be equivalent to a full, paid subscription (as compared to standard trial access or restricted account) and in the case of Free Realms, access will be full membership status; provided, however, that you must agree to and comply with each game's user agreement, terms of service and rules of conduct. Failure to comply with all applicable game rules may result in the suspension or termination of your access to these games. If you activate a fully-paid subscription or membership (as applicable), you will lose the balance of any unused trial period game time and additional, recurring subscription/membership fees will apply. In addition, if you convert a trial account into an active subscription/membership, you will not be entitled to any game time that may be included with the purchase of certain versions of, or other offers related to, such game(s). Game subscriptions and memberships are non-transferable and have no cash value.