They're officially calling it Social Club CREW, but the basic concept is Rockstar are now making it easy for anyone to put together a multiplayer clan through their Social Club service where you can also create your own Crew Emblem.

That's right, you can now create or join your own rough and tumble CREW in preparation for slaughter in Max Payne 3 Multiplayer. Hit the CREW UP button on your profile page and you can browse Featured Crews looking for recruits or invite your mates to join your ranks to blast through Gang Wars and Team Deathmatch together, racking up XP and starting online Feud beefs come next week. Every Social Club member can belong to up to 5 Crews, so form your allegiances wisely.

All Crew leaders can also designate their squad as a particular type of Crew that best describes their M.O.: All-Stars who consider themselves elite players and strive to hit the upper echelons of the Leaderboards, Soldiers who are in for serious teamwork and killing field success, Rebels out to just kick some ass and make their presence known, Thrill Seekers who prefer mayhem over ranking up and cheevos, and Chatter Boxes for those gregarious socialites of the Social Club we know from official Event chats.

The CREWS page also contains info on the in-game benefits Crew members get in online Multiplayer. You'll receive an XP boost whenever you fight as part of a Crew or battle against rival Crews and their members online. This means you'll effectively unlock bigger and better weapons more quickly than if you're flying solo. And because this feature is linked through the Social Club, you can represent your Crew across PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Rockstar are also offering any Crew that is created between now and May 15 the distinction of being a "Founder Crew", which seems more like an aesthetic title, though they're apparently working on special perks and abilities that Founders will have access to for being in the service first. Just click this link to learn more and sign up ahead of Max Payne 3's release next week.