Mass Effect 3 flyer touts 'online multiplayer pass'

Will Mass Effect 3 have online multiplayer? A retail pamphlet that mentions an "online multiplayer pass" for the game's collector's edition.

Andrew Yoon

October 3, 2011 7:15 AM

Will Mass Effect 3 have online multiplayer? So far, BioWare has been rather coy about the subject, neither confirming nor denying continued allegations that the trilogy will end with an online component. "We're exploring multiplayer in all of our games and all of our franchises," BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said at E3 earlier this year.

More fuel is being added to the fire, with the discovery of a retail pamphlet that mentions an "online multiplayer pass" for the game's collector's edition.

South African retailer BT Games (via CVG) lists the collector's edition with all the features announced for the North American bundle. The casual mention of the "online multiplayer pass" has fans on the BioWare forums speculating if this is a reference to EA's previous online passes, or if it could be a mis-worded interpretation of the Cerberus Network, included with Mass Effect 2. The voucher, included with new copies of ME2, granted access to a selection of downloadable content, including the character Zaeed and his loyalty mission.

Previous retail leaks have outed Mass Effect 3's Kinect support.

Although EA has yet to announce multiplayer support for BioWare's upcoming shooter, the current rumor pegs the feature as a co-op Horde-style mode that has four players fighting an onslaught of enemies.

Mass Effect 3 will be available on March 6, 2012.

Andrew Yoon

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

Filed Under

From The Chatty

Refresh Go To Thread

Shacknews

 reply
October 3, 2011 7:15 AM

Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Mass Effect 3 flyer touts 'online multiplayer pass'.

Will Mass Effect 3 have online multiplayer? A retail pamphlet that mentions an "online multiplayer pass" for the game's collector's edition.
- baron calamity
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:21 AM
  
  Crap I don't want in my single player RPG.
  - homeboyJim
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 7:25 AM
    
    Seriously.
    
    There is no way this won't detract from the single player :(
    - [deleted] 1321357377
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 7:26 AM
      
      [deleted]
    - spidlb
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 10:38 AM
      
      Why would this detract from the single player? Bioware has hundreds of developers plus the hundreds more at EA. If they need more resources they certainly have oodles and oodles to choose from.
      - baron calamity
        
         reply
        October 3, 2011 10:58 AM
        
        There is only so much budget and only so much room on the disc. It has to come from somewhere.
        
        spidlb
        
         reply
        October 3, 2011 11:55 AM
        
        There game has already moved to multiple disks on the 360, and considering this is the third game in the series you have to think they are not spending a ton on a bunch of new art assets. This is not a game made by a small team. I do not see a reason to panic.
        
        GigiLeCheshire
        
         reply
        October 3, 2011 12:49 PM
        
        >>Thinks games are still relegated to a -SINGLE- -DVD-.
        
        Multiple-discs, digital install, Blu-Ray. Step up yo game!
  - sublime
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 7:40 AM
    
    Can't say I've ever tried online multiplayer in a single-player game. Are there any that are surprisingly good and worth the try?
    - LoioshDwaggie
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 7:46 AM
      
      The shack will tell you that Demons' Souls / Dark Souls is great MP in an SP game, but that is not what Mass Effect 3 is getting.
      
      ME3's multiplayer is a form of horde mode, like Gears of war has.
    - Nixx2004
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 9:20 AM
      
      Two Worlds 2 might have something.
    - fractured_sanity
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 10:10 AM
      
      Diablo.
    - Vincent Grayson
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 11:51 AM
      
      The MP in Uncharted 2 was pretty fun.
  - ajvitaly
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 7:42 AM
    
    I immediately thought the same thing, but I have a feeling we're about to get trounced on.
- LoioshDwaggie
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:26 AM
  
  It's some kind of copy of horde mode, is my understanding.
  
  I wish it was a team-vs-team Krogan vs Rachni battle or something, but no.
  - [deleted] 1856106348
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 10:11 AM
    
    [deleted]
- =]Milo[=
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:30 AM
  
  I guess I assumed that a Cerberus Network type code would return and I wouldn't be surprised to see something like the Pinnacle Station simulator arenas return from ME1. Multiplayer ones though? Could be interesting, I guess.
- maulla
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:32 AM
  
  EA is doing this for all of their MP games now, so this isnt much of a surprise. I thought it was confirmed back around e3 that MP would be in the game?
- Mecha Tofu Pirate
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:44 AM
  
  Yay, pointless multiplayer that no one will play.
- cptstern
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 7:47 AM
  
  I'd rather they concentrated on single player and added new features into that instead. like actually flying the normandy
- Home Nugget
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 8:18 AM
  
  They should just focus on a standalone multiplayer spin-off set in the same universe. Leave my precious SP experience (and the talented development team behind it) alone!!!
  - Firefly1985
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 8:23 AM
    
    It's probably different people at BioWare working on the MP.
    
    Competitive MP would be too tough to balance, but a horde mode with my pals could be fun.
    
    What I really want is DOTA style MP.
    - DirkSpanners
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 2:37 PM
      
      So get your Monday Night Combat on
      - Haxim
        
         reply
        October 3, 2011 3:16 PM
        
        ^^ This man knows what's up.
- rtricoche
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 9:12 AM
  
  Wow, what a heap of shit.
- RyDogg1
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 9:20 AM
  
  Done to discourage used game sales of EA games. They've been doing this for a bit.
  - kingdepork
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 10:14 AM
    
    I think Cerberus Network more than did that for ME2. If they have a DLC code that only includes multi, I don't think many people will feel left out for buying used.
- ENHTheMaster
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 9:24 AM
  
  I wish I could get excited about anything Mass Effect, but the inevitable Origins only release makes me incapable of such.
  - ShXIII
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 11:21 AM
    
    Why the hatred for Origin? It's not that bad
- [deleted] 439710436
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 10:22 AM
  
  [deleted]
- HockeyJohnston
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 10:23 AM
  
  Single player games are dead.
  - nevlos
    
     reply
    October 3, 2011 10:38 AM
    
    If they go the way of Demon's/Dark Souls, I'm fine with it!
    - HockeyJohnston
      
       reply
      October 3, 2011 11:56 AM
      
      Totally agree.
  - dookiebot
    
     reply
    October 4, 2011 7:58 AM
    
    Really? Be prepared to keep repeating that for years to come as SP continues to exist.
- ShXIII
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 11:21 AM
  
  OK why is MP even a consideration with the last game of the trilogy? For crying out loud just do it on future ME games and not this trilogy. It's pretty much a given that the MP will be tacked on garbage.
- Dr_Cube
  
   reply
  October 3, 2011 12:30 PM
  
  If it's coop that allows a friend to take control of a companion like Garrus then fine but we don't need another horde mode.