Can’t clarify this hard enough, but this is a rumor. The source comes from a NeoGAF forum which has been known to be both legitimate and/or completely false. So, when this comes back false, don’t kill me. Thanks.
16 Person Player matches were confirmed by a posted preview in the GAF forums. Friend Codes to be used as well. From NeoGAF:
“I got some hands on goodness with The Conduit last week and walked away very impressed with what High Voltage is doing on the system. The tech is every bit as impressive as they’ve been promising. It’s also just a really, really solid first-person shooter, not the most original thing in the entire world but fun as hell and immediately engaging. I’m really curious to see how well the online’s implemented though. I talked with their art director Matt Corso, and he confirmed sixteen player matches are in, as are friend codes.” — NeoGAF
Confirmed? Absolutely not. We won’t know the legitimacy behind this claim until High Voltage actually makes an announcement regarding the truth behind the matter. But it’s nice to hope and dream.