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.