You won't have to take on the Orks and Forces of Chaos in Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine alone. THQ has confirmed that its upcoming third-person shooter will feature co-op play -- though it remains unclear exactly how or when the feature will be implemented.

After a Space Marine forum moderator suggested co-op would be added to the shooter roughly 30 days after the full game's September 6 launch due to the mode's need for additional polish (a post that's since been removed but survives in cached form), THQ officially confirmed co-op will be included in a brief, detail-free statement to Shacknews.


The removed forum post also suggested that co-op in Space Marine would utilize publisher THQ's Online Pass system, making it free for anyone who buys the game new, but paid for those who pick it up used.

THQ said an official announcement about co-op in Space Marine will be made later this month. The publisher is set to have a significant presence at Gamescom in Germany beginning August 17, setting up the European convention as the prime spot for breaking the news.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine is in development for Windows PCs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The game is set for launch on September 6.


Spy Guy says: Co-op would be a terrific addition to Space Marine. When I played the game at E3, I was unimpressed with the NPC Space Marines in Capt. Titus's squad. They were more window dressing than Ork killing machines. Taking on the horde with a friend -- or possibly friends -- will significantly upgrade the overall experience.