For a while now, Brütal Legend's multiplayer has been something of... a unicorn. Double Fine kept talking about it, and saying it was going to be in the game, but it was never actually explained. In fact, some doubted its very existence, expecting it to be cut so the developer could focus on the game's important story. In a press release sent out today detailing the multiplayer, it has been confirmed that they don't swing that way.

Players can join together in four-versus-four skirmishes, controlling units and fighting against each other in a Battle of the Bands. Details such as how many different characters players can choose from, how many maps there will be, and if there are any other modes are as of yet unknown. Either way, it's good to see Double Fine refusing to drop content - now let's hope it doesn't lead to a delay.

I can't see myself easily being pulled away from the singleplayer to play some multiplayer, but I'm going to keep an open mind. The press release is below, and be sure to check back in the future for more coverage of the awesomeness that is Brütal Legend.

Jack Black stars as Eddie Riggs, a roadie who's sucked into a mythical Age of Rock to fight evil, liberate an army of headbangers from a life of oppression, find love, and discover his life’s purpose. Heavy stuff until one realizes the universe of Brütal Legend has sprung from the mind of legendary game director Tim Schafer.

Brütal Legend marries visceral action combat with open-world freedom, set in a universe somewhere between Lord of the Rings and Spinal Tap. It's a fresh take on the action/driving genre, which is full of imitation cover bands. The game is brought to life through a spate of chrome, leather, rocker babes, epic music, fire-breathing/stud-wearing beasts, mountains made of guitar amps, and more. Follow Eddie as he embarks on a tour of epic destruction with an axe, a guitar, and his minions as he commands the power of rock in epic band battles. It's lighter-flicking awesomeness that will melt your face clean off.

• Action combat: The core gameplay of Brütal Legend is classic action slasher, but with a twist: ranged combat comes from your demon-slaying, electricity-creating guitar. Add that one-two punch to a guitar solo mechanic that can summon objects, buff your teammates, or cripple your opponents, and you have a deep, gratifying core gameplay combat loop fun for the hardcore and accessible for the casual.
• Streaming open world: Have the freedom to walk, drive, or fly anywhere in a fully streaming open world whose art style is inspired by some of the most iconic and hilariously rad metal album covers ever created. Every vista in the beautiful universe of Brütal Legend looks like it was pulled from a Frank Frazetta painting.
• Heavy metal: Brütal Legend is full of cameos from Gods of Metal like Lemmy Kilmister, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and many, many others. It has a MASSIVE metal soundtrack from every era of metal music, 70s classic metal to 80s hair metal to the scarier cousins of 90s metal. And of course, Jack Black pays the ultimate homage to metal as Eddie the Roadie, continuing the theme from the work of his band, Tenacious D, and his previous films including School of Rock and High Fidelity.
• Multiplayer: Four-versus-four "skirmish" multiplayer marries action combat with a strategic unit-control mechanic. As the leader of one of the factions in the game, direct your armies in a Battle of the Bands where the trophy is survival, and even take your battle online over Xbox LIVE.