Ryse was the talk of the Microsoft press conference for many fans. The gorgeous title casts players as a Roman warrior out for revenge across an intense single-player campaign. But multiplayer was also a factor, and although nothing solid had been confirmed prior to now, it was a consistent question running through the shadows of the LA convention center.

I spoke anonymously with a Crytek employee at E3 today regarding the title's online multiplayer. Nobody is supposed to know about this yet, but in a back room I was let in on the secret.

Ryse's multiplayer will be an online co-op mode. An unspecified number of players can team up and take down barbarian hordes together. 

Players will fight inside of a Roman colosseum, backs against the wall as waves upon waves of barbarians come at them. Functionally, the mode is a basic Horde-style survival affair that challenges players to survive for as many rounds as possible. It is possible to win the mode by reaching a set number of waves completed, too.

Ryse's co-op multiplayer isn't at E3, so unfortunately I wasn't able to get my hands on it. I did, however, get a single-player session in, so look for detailed impressions soon.