2K Games has announced the multiplayer mode in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, from Firaxis Games.

Gamers will be able to build squads of aliens, soldiers – or a little of both – in order to make a dream team to go up against other players online in a no holds barred deathmatch, adding a new element of excitement to this already anticipated action-strategy game.

The multiplayer will take from the gameplay, tactics and strategy of the single-player mode, but as an entirely separate entity while still secure in its roots. Like in the game, the fog of war will hide your enemies until you encounter them on the battlefield, manifesting the trademark tension of the XCOM series. Gamers can do more than just choose their team of up to six units – they can outfit them with different types of armor and weapons, items, and class-based abilities. Matches can be modified by point limit or time limit per turn.

“Throughout the history of the XCOM series, players have acted as the world’s last hope against the alien invasion,” said Jake Solomon, lead designer of XCOM: Enemy Unknown. “With the multiplayer mode in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, gamers can finally find out what it’s like to command alien units and unleash extraterrestrial destruction on Planet Earth or defend it with a squad of XCOM soldiers and alien allies.”

XCOM: Enemy Unknown will be available for Windows PC, Xbox 360, and PS3.