Four-player co-op for Mass Effect 3?

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 16 June, 2011

We've heard it's in. What does BioWare say?

Mass Effect 3 is strongly rumoured to feature a four-player co-op mode.

Eurogamer understands this four-player, online-enabled co-op mode is "standalone" and features "competitive elements".

The co-op component is said to not compromise the single-player portion of the game.

Current reports suggest Mass Effect 3's multiplayer is a Horde-style mode, which challenges players to shoot-to-kill waves of enemies.

A separate source has told Eurogamer that BioWare Montreal was creating a multiplayer Mass Effect experience, either as a standalone game or component of Mass Effect 3.

Is this still the case?

At E3 last week Eurogamer asked BioWare if Mass Effect 3 has four-player co-op.

"We haven't talked at all about multiplayer in the Mass Effect franchise, but we're exploring multiplayer in all of our games and all of our franchises," BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka told Eurogamer.

"It's always an idea we're interested in.

"The short answer is we have no comment on that. But we're interested in the idea of multiplayer."

Last month EA announced that Mass Effect 3 was delayed to early 2012.

"The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations," said executive producer Casey Hudson at the time.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (63) Latest comment 8 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shikasama #1 8 months ago

    May aswell. It's a shooter and every other shooter has multiplayer.

  • Sonic_D #2 8 months ago

    Mass Effect becomes Halo, the RPG to shooter conversion is complete.

  • Crea #3 8 months ago

    This shit doesn't work. It won't make it sell better. Stop it.

  • telboy007 #4 8 months ago

    "laser focused" ... "hyper vigilance" ... what does it all mean?

  • TonyCB #5 8 months ago

    It means his real name is David Brent ....

  • Xardan #6 8 months ago

    Raaargh...

    I'll kill you EA!

    This is a tacked on multiplayer feature EA have pushed Bioware to do. EA like this kind of thing because it boosts sales and lessens the chance of people trading in the game after completion. Also it will give them more reasons to release DLC.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 14:36

  • Centrifugal #7 8 months ago

    As long as the 'main' team don't waste their time fitting this in, I'm fine with that. But I bought Mass Effect 1 back in 2007 for the single player.

    I'll be buying Mass Effect 3 in 2012 for the single player too.

  • HL706 #8 8 months ago

    BioWare are dead to me!

  • Markitron #9 8 months ago

    Why??? At this rate it will be a gears clone with spiffier dialogue

  • metalangel #10 8 months ago

    Why waste your time creating a seperate multiplayer section, EA/Bioware? Just completely remove all non-combat sequences from the game and replace them with cutscenes, it's obviously what you've wanted to do all along.

  • Ed6445 #11 8 months ago

    "ensuring that it exceeds everyone's expectations" - should be pretty easy as mine are rock-bottom with this game at the moment.

  • Narida #12 8 months ago

    Might be interesting, but does indeed seem kind of unnecessary considering what you really buy it for is the single player/story.

    What I always thought would have been great is a way for friends to take over your squadmates so you wouldn't have to rely on their sometimes dodgy AI. Sure, they'd take a backseat during cutscenes, but it would be something.

  • mushroomyakuza #13 8 months ago

    GROAN. Whatever happened to single-player games? Seriously, why does everything HAVE to be multiplayer these days? ENOUGH!

  • Gambit1977 #14 8 months ago

    Bioware seriously dropping in standards.

  • kinky_mong #15 8 months ago

    Christ, not only are they shoe-horning multiplayer in, but it's a fucking Hoard mode, the worst type of multiplayer mode!

  • Snufkin #16 8 months ago

    I can see co-op making sense in the campaign (perhaps in a Demon's Souls kind of implementation) but a seperate Horde mode?? No ta. Sounds pants.

  • Deckard1 #17 8 months ago

    I dunno, a horde could be very good. Oh sorry....

    RAaAAaaaaAAaAa BLIND HATE!!!!

  • LHH #18 8 months ago

    Fucking EA up to their old tricks I reckon; absorbing developers and fucking their franchises up to appease some other demographic they want to get money from.
    Fuck you BioWare and Fuck you EA

    rage rage etc
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 15:08

  • GiarcYekrub #19 8 months ago

    They better not have bloody multiplayer achievments

  • lavalant #20 8 months ago

    Just a way for them to push the EA online pass on everyone.

    RIP Bioware, We'll always have KOTOR and ME1.

  • Xardan #21 8 months ago

    This is a publisher decision not a developerone. So dont go blaming Bioware.

  • icematt12 #22 8 months ago

    I never, ever want to see ME online tied to Shep's story. However, playing as C-Sec or Alliance forces on Earth might be worth a look if done right.

  • Subdominator #23 8 months ago

    TBH the series was a shooter from the start, complaining that it takes turns to the worse is just stupid. The RPG elements felt very tacked on, like the ridiculous inventory system in ME. You kept collecting stuff but nothing was needed for the story or quests. You just had this huge list where you could modify your guns and armor but everyone more or less chose the same mods, because with the exception of two the other 20 sucked.

    However multiplayer modes are pretty much a waste of time for this game. The story and the quests make the experience worthwhile. Put the development time into more content for the singleplayer instead of releasing DLC on day one.

  • The-Bodybuilder #24 8 months ago

    I've defended Bioware and EA for a while on their "massification" (see what I did there?) of mass effect 3, but this I cannot defend. This does indicate it's gone for a much more shooter route.

    Put it in for alll I care, I will not touch it.

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #25 8 months ago

    So it has multiplayer. People still have the SP they wanted. whats the problem? ill be buying it as will a few mates.

  • davisorle #26 8 months ago

    Wow gamers can be bitching to a magnitude I didnt expect. The game has been delayed to "overcome" the expectations, was the news a few weeks back. Given a co-op option is an added feature than some of us might want. Why the fuck dont you just leave the ppl that wanted such thing from the franchise thank for it than you come out and moan? lol

    Worse and most bratty gen of gamers - ever. No wonder why the whole gaming industry is going to hell. Its driven by the likes of you *-*

  • Half-assed #27 8 months ago

    I'd like some co-op with Liara and Miranda.




  • Xardan #28 8 months ago

    Someone went on a neg spree.

    Stop that!

    I will find you...
    Edited by 2 at 16/06/11 @ 16:33

  • Crea #29 8 months ago

    @davisorle

    I think you'll find it's us old timers that despise the thought of ramming multiplayer into a game like Mass Effect.

    What next? I know,let's bring back Planescape: Torment but make it an MMO and add zombies and coop and achievements and horse armour and make it F2P.

    Someone at EA fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between an IP and the type of audience it attracts.

  • HL706 #30 8 months ago

    @davisorle

    There are far better 3rd person shooters out there (Gears of War for example) that offer good competitive/co-op online segments to compliment a reasonable single player offering.

    BioWare were one of the few consistently good RPG developers. There are now very few true RPG developers (Bethesda, Obsidian...who else?) that can deliver an experience that many of us enjoy.

    So, we're quite rightly annoyed that a very capable and talented dev studio has moved away from a market with huge demand and little supply to an over staturated market with many quality titles and franchises. The world doesn't need another shooter!

  • Nazo #31 8 months ago

    Every time I read about ME3 it sounds worse. I'm starting to wish I'd never bought ME2.

  • TeeHee #32 8 months ago

    Gonna enjoy the awkward silence in the office the day after you mistakenly attempt to romance a co-worker because you where spamming space to get through the dialog.

  • anomagnus #33 8 months ago

    christ, will you tone down the nerd rage. If, IF it was in, its an optional different game mode. It was made explictly clear it wont be in the single player game. Standalone is pretty clear.

    Do you know what this means? it means if you did buy the game - YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY THE MULTI PLAYER MODE. A bioware employee is not coming to your house. This employee will NOT stand beside you and out a gun to your head. This phantom menace will NOT force you to play the game on pain of death.

    Take your pathetic fake rage elsewhere

  • ISmoke #34 8 months ago

    Way to fuck up one of my favourite games this generation, Bioware.

    What the fuck where they thinking? "Lets just ostrichisise our original fanbase, that'll really make them happy"

  • anomagnus #35 8 months ago

    @davisorle

    A lot of the posters on forums these days, and eg would be a great example, are filled with people that get their kicks out of being negative. Most of these people never get a chance to give the feedback they want to anything/anyone in their lives, and compensate by giving over the top hyperbolic feedback anonymously through the power of internet forums.

    Everyone of them knows this is an optional extra that doesn't require them to play it. They know they can ignore it, in the same way i ignore the online components of every game i buy. BUt if they don't express their bile, in the hope they get a few positive ticks from other bile filled hate addicts, they'll not feel they've had a good day.

    The ironic part is, most of these bitchers will actually buy the game anyway.

    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 16:26

  • sabbede #36 8 months ago

    So... They pushed it back because EA wants to add some multiplayer? Because that's what I'm hearing.

  • Crea #37 8 months ago

    It's not a case of nerd-raging at the inclusion of something we don't personally like, for me. It's more that it gives strong insight into the perspectives of management and the likely future direction of the studio. It's the same process that strips out the inventory system from ME1, that made DA2 a lesser game than the original. It's the banalification of the studio's output that concerns me. It's that EA paid $700m for this company and that therefore sales of 2-3m are not good enough. They want Halo numbers, and they're continually moderating their franchises in an attempt to get this.

    What makes this so depressing for me, personally, is that it all just confirms that we'll never get another KOTOR, never mind a Baldur's Gate from the new BioWare. I think that's a shame, and it's sad that they don't feel that core RPGs can sell enough.

  • nuanimal #38 8 months ago

    Awesome, can't wait for the 4-player orgy mini-game.

  • Whitster #39 8 months ago

    @iSmoke
    They're turning you into an Ostrich?

    Also for the record I though Dragon Age 2 was much more fun than the first.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 16:35

  • thiagots85 #40 8 months ago

    So, a single player focused franchise might have multiplayer features... If another only single player focused franchise, developed by the same, they got to screw up... well... At least we can have some hope... in something... I don't know.

    I'm sad... =(

  • StooMonster #41 8 months ago

    I need other people to play the game with on my PC?

    Are they going to make it "only on Origin"?

    Man, if they try hard enough they might just kill my love for this franchise.

  • anomagnus #42 8 months ago

    @Crea

    Look, i;m not trying to be offensive. But what you're feeling about Bioware, thats puirely subjective. On my desktop, right now, are three icons. My trash bin, Baldurs gate 1 and 2. I've been playing rpgs since i bought my first rpg in college 15 years. PC, console, JRPG/Western Rog, i've tried them all. I love my rpgs.

    With all that in mind, i loved Mass Effect 2. To me, i focus more on the G, in RPG. I love my games. I'm not as interested in the mechanics of an RPG. I thought it daft in ME1 i would loot armour. Armour i had just shot full of holes. That didnt make sense to me.

    Secondly, you don't have an insight into Bioware in any way, shape or form. You're making a assumption, mostly emotional, based on what you think you're reading. You think its an EA drive to force online games on us. That actually may be the case, but you don't have an insight to that.

    I personally beleive that the ME universe lends itself incredibly well to multiplay. I love the though of four player combat using multiple powers and classes. The thought of a tank solider, rogue infiltrator, and other classes in a combat sitution sounds unreal to me.

    I'd love to see an adept throw a krogan, and i activated a vanguard charge on the flying enemy.

    People are so quick to dismiss. Whats the problem with waiting until the gmae ships, and judging it on its own merits?

    Despite your lack of appreciation for ME2, a lot of people enjoyed it. Its one of the most highly rated games in recenty history. I don't subscribe to the idea that every reviewer has been bribed by EA to give a higher score. I look forward to ME3 with unrestrained excitement

  • ISmoke #43 8 months ago

    "I need other people to play the game with on my PC?

    Are they going to make it "only on Origin"?

    Man, if they try hard enough they might just kill my love for this franchise."

    I have a real bad feeling they will release it just on Origin what is a massive kick in the balls for me as i've re-bought ME/ME2 again on Steam as i wanted to have the triology on there as well as on the 360

  • andywilkie35 #44 8 months ago

    Sounds great! The best part of Mass Effect is the combat system so this'll be brilliant!

    Oh wait the worst part of Mass Effect is the combat. Fucking hell!

  • Crea #45 8 months ago

    @anomagus We can agree to differ, and I certainly wasn't offended! :)

    For the record, I thoroughly enjoyed ME2; I thought it was excellent, better than the first. But not because of the streamlined mechanics, particularly. And it didn't improve sales. I think they're trying to push their franchises into blockbuster territory. Of course, I don't have special knowledge of this - you are correct , I am making certain assumptions. But it's certainly not an emotional reaction. There's plenty of evidence that implies such a strategy. And chasing sales is, of course, not a crime; I'm certainly not some elitist wanker on that front.

    My point is really as follows:

    1. I think they're moderating their franchises in an attempt to broaden appeal.
    2. Thus far, their sales suggest this broadening isn't really working - they've been static. Maybe someone can point me to evidence to the contrary.

    A consequence of this (assumed) strategy is that we get ever more 'cinematic', blockbuster and mainstream experiences, which means less of a chance of a core-focused RPG in the future. So be it, but I think it's a shame, that's all.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 17:03

  • coomber #46 8 months ago

    So long as the single player experience is as good as the first, I don't care.

  • Romeric #47 8 months ago

    No multiplayer please. Mass Effect 1&2 were fantastic without it, so why shouldn't the 3rd be? A spin off series is worth considering I suppose, but Bioware need to stay 'laser focused' on shipping Mass Effect 3 first. Can't wait.

  • uzivatel #48 8 months ago

    @lavalant: Oddly enough, BioWare did exist even prior KotOR.
    Shattered Steel had multiplayer, both Baldurs Gate games had six player multiplayer and NWN had MMO-like persistent words with up to 96 players.

    As for EA and their online pass, it was already there in ME2, they just called it Cerberus Network (probably to avoid controversies), but the basic concept is the same.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/11 @ 17:23

  • apoc_reg #49 8 months ago

    Another nail, on rails shooter 1 vs. good game called an rpg 0

    @&@& off EA'oware

  • 32768Colours #50 8 months ago

    This is just a result of EA and their online pass obsession. Can't say I'll be bothering with multiplayer; I don't enjoy online multiplayer with strangers at all and I struggle to find time to team up with my friends these days as well.

    Anyway, thanks EA, for delaying Mass Effect 3 just to add features that probably won't even be all that successful.

  • Caimbeul #51 8 months ago

    Pointless.

  • Snake_2011 #52 8 months ago

    like these type games on my own.

  • Editos #53 8 months ago

    I knew it, I FUCKING KNEW IT.

    Bioware have now officially sold out. First it was Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age 2 took it a step further, now they're putting fucking multiplayer in?

    At least Bethesda had the balls to say no to shitty tacked on multiplayer. Bioware just take it straight up the shitter from EA.

  • Peter_LIAR_Molyneux #54 8 months ago

    @Editos

    Bioware now is to the Bioware of old just as Rare now compares to the Rare of old. When you sell out this is what inevitably happens.

  • Editos #55 8 months ago

    @Peter_LIAR_Molyneux

    I know, and it makes me sad face.

    I look at games like Baldurs Gate II right through to Dragon Age and its truly sad to see yet another dev sell their soul.

    Bad times.

  • azizur #56 8 months ago

    This ranting is stupid.

    Morons like you make me ashamed to be a gamer. I for one can't wait for ME3 (already preordered it through Origin)

    Davisorle is right. You are a bunch of brats.

  • anomagnus #57 8 months ago

    @ediitos

    Congratulations on proving all my points.you fully represent the raving, bile filled, over the top, knee jerk gamer that so typifies forum users these days.

  • Editos #58 8 months ago

    @anomagus

    Knee jerk? I'm watching the slow but sure demise of what I expect video games to be. No longer is fan service even a consideration, publishers are only there to milk the public for every penny they can and turn once respected devs into a shadow of their former accomplishments.

    You can not seriously tell me that a tacked on 'me too' multiplayer mode doesn't take away vital time that could be spent tuning and polishing the singleplayer experience. This is no coincidence that almost every game released these days has that tacked on turd added for no other reason other than to boast that there is multiplayer included.

    Get. A. Fucking. Grip.

  • BuddyChrist #59 8 months ago

    .... and a new assault rifle type weapon with a laser bayonet, you can run up to people and slice them apart.... Or grenade tag them.... That's a brand new feature too. Marcus Shepherd at his best....What? Keep quiet haters, these ideas are 110% original!

  • Daikon #60 8 months ago

    Good luck to Bioware making Mass Effect 3.
    I'll wait until the reviews roll in before ordering a copy though.

  • tyrant1 #61 8 months ago

    Fucking pointless waste of time and resources. Mind you, if true it at least proves those wimps at Bioware take it up the ass from EA execs. And Im not just talking about paying their cheques, Im talking about creatively owning them, i.e. some useless prick in a suit thinks the game will sell better with some cheap multiplayer tacked on, therefore the Bioware folks have to jump to their command.

    Still, all this was kind of lit with signal flares with ME2, which "improved" on ME1 by taking nearly all the aspects that werent "visceral shooter combat" and starving them of any kind of development, and more importantly, game time.

  • Gizzle #62 8 months ago

    Nulltiplayer please

  • cloudrow #63 8 months ago

    Bioware don't listen to EA! I'd rather buy an online pass for some crap level or character hell even one that just changed my gun to a water pistol would be better for me than to see Mass Effect 3 have multiplayer. Scrap multiplayer and give us more missions or guns or something instead, honestly we don't mind.