€œIt is quite rare that two publishers of this caliber are able to collaborate on this level to create a top notch entertainment experience for next-generation platforms.†said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and LucasArts today announced that iconic Star Wars characters will appear in Soulcalibur® IV for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. As part of this monumental collaboration, the Sith Lord Darth Vader will appear as a guest character in the PLAYSTATION3 system version of the title, and Jedi Master Yoda will be available for the Xbox 360. Delivering a robust offering of new gameplay modes and enhanced features, Soulcalibur IV will raise the bar of excellence for all next-generation fighting games when it is released in Summer 2008. LAS VEGAS, Nevada, (January 9, 2008) – Swords and Lightsabers will be drawn as NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.
THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH SOULCALIBUR® IV NAMCO BANDAI Games and LucasArts Announce Landmark Partnership
If you’re a fan of Star Wars, good - the site further speculates that we may see even more characters from the Star Wars universe joining the roster, as it’s unlikely Namco would go through the trouble of nabbing an exclusive deal with LucasArts for only two characters. 1UP reports that Star Wars favorites Darth Vader and Yoda are both playable in the upcoming Soul Calibur IV. Brawl’s completely random character additions (Snake anyone?). Looks like Namco has been paying attention to Super Smash Bros. Notably, the announcement reveals that Vader will be playable in the PlayStation 3 version of the game, while Yoda will be available only in the Xbox 360 version. Update: Namco Bandai has issued a press release announcing their partnership with studio LucasArts.