many open source projects have moved off of Freenode in favor of https://libera.chat or https://www.oftc.net/, both of which offer easy replacement options to Freenode.
Other projects are considering a full switch to Matrix-only as their channel already had a bridge to Freenode.
So, in my opinion, if dealing with an exceptional case like there where time is important it makes sense to give your users a familiar experience. And Matrix and IRC have one thing in common : there is more than just one client software to choose from making migration and support possibly more difficult (Compare that for example with helping your friends migrate from Whatsapp to Signal or Telegram, which I expect to be an easier migration in comparison).
My thoughts were echoed in this post : https://teddit.net/r/linux/comments/nmzv2f/psa_many_projects_have_moved_their_irc_presence/
So, in my opinion, if dealing with an exceptional case like there where time is important it makes sense to give your users a familiar experience. And Matrix and IRC have one thing in common : there is more than just one client software to choose from making migration and support possibly more difficult (Compare that for example with helping your friends migrate from Whatsapp to Signal or Telegram, which I expect to be an easier migration in comparison).
Ah okay. That makes sense actually. Thanks for the response