BioWare announced today that multiplayer will be coming to the Mass Effect series for the very first time as part of the new Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system. With the Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War system, players will fight against an ancient alien race known only as Reapers in both the single player campaign and through a suite of Mass Effect games and applications. Progress made in each of the components of the system, including the new multiplayer mode, will directly link back to the player’s main campaign, helping Commander Shepard to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all. The Mass Effect 3: Galaxy at War feature can be activated via the Online Pass code found in every new copy of Mass Effect 3. The Mass Effect 3 Online Pass can also be purchased separately on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The game will offer four-player cooperative gameplay with the option of playing as one of six classes and from six different races: Human, Krogan, Asari, Drell, Salarian and Turian. The new system will be connected to the BioWare Social Network. Mass Effect 3 arrives in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012.