Mass Effect 3's multiplayer originated as a first-person downloadable title

Mass Effect 3's multiplayer was quite the surprise for gamers who never expected anything more than single-player. Turns out the multiplayer's rough but enjoyable quality was due in part to it being originally developed as a standalone first person downloadable title. In Jeff Keighley's new behind-the-scenes iOS app The Final Hours of Mass Effect 3, he provides some insight into the now defunct title.

"The goal was simple, to create a standalone multiplayer experience in the Mass Effect universe that would mix the play styles of Unreal Tournament and Battlefield 1943 — and likely be released as a downloadable game."

After four months of development the project was presented, but inevitably was turned into a cooperative mode in Mass Effect 3. While the game's engine disappointingly couldn't handle cooperative in the main game, it was added as the separate multiplayer mode available now.

The idea of a standalone Mass Effect FPS has since been, "put on the backburner." Knowing BioWare's love for maximizing profit on the Mass Effect franchise, don't be too surprised if you hear more about it in a few years.