BioWare explain lack of multiplayer in Mass Effect 1 and 2

BioWare Edmonton’s general manager, Aaryn Flynn, has explained to IncGamers the reason why the first two Mass Effect games didn’t include multiplayer. Flynn infers that the “setting” of Mass Effect hasn’t felt right until now.   
“For us we thought that if we were ever going to do multiplayer, we wanted to do it in a setting that fits and in a way that adds to the single player story,” Flynn told us.
“In Mass 3 we’ve got the whole galaxy at war with itself, so we thought that provided a good setting to support a multiplayer campaign alongside the single player.”
Whether or not one could describe Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer as a “campaign” is highly debatable. From what we played at a recent hands-on event, it’s essentially a fancy Horde mode clone with a world map added to give the impression of a back and forth struggle. Said map shows which side (you or the AI) controls each zone and updates based on your success in each match.
For a more in-depth look at Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer, see our full preview here.