Soul Calibur IV confirmed

By Ellie Gibson Published 20 June, 2006

By Namco Bandai producer.

Daisuke Uchiyama, chief producer at Namco Bandai and a man best known for is work on the Dragon Ball Z games, has confirmed that a fourth instalment in the Soul Calibur series is on the way.

That's according to GameDaily.com, who got the chance to sit down with Uchiyama for a chat.

Apparently he said he'd love to see members of the Tekken or Soul Calibur development teams working on a DBZ game - but they're a bit busy at the moment, what with having to produce Tekken 6 and Soul Calibur IV.

Tekken 6, of course, was announced aaages ago. It's coming to PS3, and word is it'll make use of Sony's new motion-sensing controller.

But this is the first official word of Soul Calibur IV - although it's hardly a great surprise to learn that such a successful series is getting another instalment.

Uchiyama didn't reveal any details of the game; he wouldn't even say which platforms it's in development for, in fact. Next-gen seems more than likely, but as for which consoles... We'll just have to wait and see.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (38) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Shadar #1 6 years ago

    Fist!

    So. Any surprises? Except for the fact that the slightly frustrated perpetrator of a flea-bitten licence was the man to break the news about a very popular fighting franchise getting another instalment?

  • EmiliasHorse #2 6 years ago

    Go on Namco have the bottle to resist Sony wonga and release this on all formats.


  • itamae #3 6 years ago

    Yay Soul Calibur IV! \o/ May I ask for the following please:

    - no more bugs that corrupt your save file (thanks for that, Namco)
    - online battles
    - proper single-player modes this time
    - saveable replays
    - no Abyss and Charade
    - don't nerf Talim again
    - statistics are always nice; put the statistics back in

  • Wrestlevania #4 6 years ago

    Emilia'sHorse: Go on Namco have the bottle to resist Sony wonga and release this on all formats.

    +1

    Regarding Soul Caliber II: I quite liked the idea of each distinct console getting its own exclusive character--thought that was a nice little touch on Namco's part. Would be nice to see that back in again IMHO.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/06 @ 12:43

  • Dizzy #5 6 years ago

    May I ask for the following please:

    A better version than the DC one.

  • Aretak #6 6 years ago

    The Dreamcast version still hasn't been bettered.

  • Wrestlevania #7 6 years ago

    Aretek: The Dreamcast version still hasn't been bettered.

    Not sure about that, but I certainly had no qualms with it. What didn't you like exactly, Dizzy--apart from the horridly uncomfortable joypad of course?

  • Zomoniac #8 6 years ago

    It had better not be a Sony exclusive again. And 'such a successful series'? I thought the third one was a complete flop? Certainly over here it was.

  • EmiliasHorse #9 6 years ago

    Dreamcast was the most loved console ever.

    Sony were bastards using strong arm tactics to scare the casual gamers away from owning what was a true "next gen" machine.....For shame Sony....Oh and all those fools who swallowed the lies.

    And yes SC on DC was not only the best SC but a real contender for best game ever.

  • Steroyd #10 6 years ago

    That's because there isn't any distinct differences in the whole series.

    I digress the fighting genre needs a boot up the ass, matter of the fact is once you've played the first of the series, you've played them all.

    That goes for Tekken as well.

    @Emilia'sHorse how many people actually followed Sony selling the PS2 except those who had the internet or actually went to E3 in 2000.

    The PS2 generated alot of self hype without Sony doing anything because of how popular the PSone was, Sony could have kept their mouths shut and it would have still dreamcasted the dreamcast.
    Edited by 1 at 20/06/06 @ 12:51

  • Hunamster #11 6 years ago

    I think that taki's nipples should become even more prominant, maybe used in an attack.

  • EmiliasHorse #12 6 years ago

    @Steroyd

    Sadly true.

  • JA$ON #13 6 years ago

    Namco suck sony cock.

  • TheBard #14 6 years ago

    I would like to see SC IV on Xbox 360 and PS3. PS3 users having Dante as a special character, XBox 360 users would have Hayabusa (which will, as we all know, never happen. But it would fit great).

    Or just bring Spawn back to the Microsoft version and use the next gen capabilities to render his enormous, living cloak.

  • Schiraman #15 6 years ago

    For those being all hardcore by harking back to SC on the DC, let's not forget that the first game in the series was Soul Edge on the PS1.

    Now *that* was a class game. Shame that the deliberate, tactical pace of the original (and breakable weapons) didn't make it into the SC games. Although the SC games are a lot of fun, they're very button-mash friendly.

    As for Tekken 6... who cares? T4 and 5 both seem pretty forgettable. I'd be more interested in Tekken Tag Tournament 2, because for my money TTT is still one of the best fighting experiences available.

  • absolutezero #16 6 years ago

    SC3 was broken in alot of places so heres hoping they spend more time on the actual game and less on the silly costumes.

  • EmiliasHorse #17 6 years ago

    I have an honest question... How well did SC3 sell compared to the multi format SC2?

    Anyone know?

  • Darren #18 6 years ago

    So is this for the arcades or PS3 and/or Xbox 360 then?

    Soul Calibur is my favourite fighting game of all-time, an absolute classic on the Dreamcast but SCII was only marginally better on the GC/Xbox (I still own both versions of SCII) BUT it's still great. Never bothered with SCIII on the PS2 as it looked a bit 'samey'. I can't see how different yet another sequel will be apart from having prettier graphics. Dead Or Alive 4 on the 360 proved that you can have too much of a good thing (kind of) as I thought it was a big disappointment so I'm not sure whether I'm looking forward to SCIV or not... :?

    Why not create something *NEW* Namco instead of milking all your past glories to death? /wink
    Edited by 2 at 20/06/06 @ 13:46

  • Der_tolle_Emil #19 6 years ago

    Didn't even the gamecube version of SC2 sell better than all the other versions because of Link? I heard a lot good things about SC1 and SC2 (I own SC2 for the cube) but SC3 was completely forgotten. I know a lot of people who love SC2 but they never mentioned SC3 - at all.

    Besides that, I want Killer Instinct back. In classic 2d :(
    Edited by 2 at 20/06/06 @ 13:41

  • neuroniky #20 6 years ago

    Soul Edge was fun, but it is not comparable to Soul Calibur... Soul Calibur on the DC was simply revolutionary, both in gameplay and technically speaking. It is still the best 3d beat em up ever released. After that, Namco just tried to make the game evolve, without ever managing to innovate, which is what made SC so different from the rest of the games out there.

  • Kami #21 6 years ago

    Quote by itamae;
    - no more bugs that corrupt your save file (thanks for that, Namco)
    - online battles
    - proper single-player modes this time
    - saveable replays
    - no Abyss and Charade
    - don't nerf Talim again
    - statistics are always nice; put the statistics back in

    Agreed, but also want to add;

    * Sort out the throws system, total bodge-job in SC3.
    * Work on the damn cheapness of the stun system too.
    * SC3 was graphically the WORST of the series for clipping. Sort it please.
    * Just add new characters please, create-a-character was generic-city.
    * Stop changing the damn inputs.
    * Nerf Raphael. No seriously. Nerf the git.
    * Since the whole purpose of the throw is to get a good up-skirt shot, how about you just take away Sophitia's panties? You've bordered on it for long enough anyway...

  • itamae #22 6 years ago

    But Raphael is only a shadow of his former self in the third game, do you want them to completely neuter him in IV? :-)

    Characters that definitely need to be toned down though are Xianghua and Sophitia; especially Xianghua!

  • nickthegun #23 6 years ago

    Soul Blade on the PS1 was the first game that made me sit up and think 'Holy Shit!' about rendered graphics. That intro was awesome. Tekken 2's was good and the first one I saw on the PS1 (late 96), but I was blown away by that one.

    The game itself was good. Pretty good fun, but until you unlocked everybodies soulcalibur, the games frequently ended up with unarmed people chipping at each other because the unarmed combat system wasnt great.

    SC on the DC was a revelation, though. A quantum leap forward for 3d graphics and all the right tweaks (except for the shitty endings) made over Sould Blade.

    SC2 was just more of the same and i got bored of it fairly quickly as I hammered SC on the DC.

    SC3 passed me by as I dont own a PS2 and it looked, to be honest, more of a SC 2.5 than a proper sequel.

  • HelloWorld #24 6 years ago

    Slow news day? It'll probably play just like the last one, only with arguably nicer graphics.

    I just wish someone'd try something new with fighting games. You can see why they keep churning out the same stuff with existing franchises- it's cheap, and the hardcore players have a large time investment and don't want too much change.

    With the advancements in commonly available knowledge/software/ processing power available for character physics/control/animation (like that "euphoria" stuff), someone could do something amazing in this genre.

    What can i reasonably expect from soul calibur 4? I'd like a number of character size classes, so each character has a different variation on their throws dependent on the size of their opponent. (gets rid of "clipping", and throwing giant characters looks like hard work, or they don't go as far, or you use a different throw entirely) This would be relatively easy to do, and wouldn't fundamentally alter the play. I also hope they don't go too "anime" with the graphics, too gaudy with the costumes, and that Ivy doesn't look like Tim Henman like she does on the SC3 box.

    Kreate a fighter should come back too.

  • Schiraman #25 6 years ago

    @neuroniky

    I really don't see what was so revolutionary about SC... it's a pretty-but-dumb sequel to an amibitious, original game.

  • HonestJoe #26 6 years ago

    SC3 sold poorly and actually 2 didn't sell that great either, despite having EA's marketing wodge behind it in Europe. The GC version sold best relative to the installed base, but PS2 sold the most, though at a vastly reduced price. Remember seeing it for £7.99 everywhere?

  • MrGrumpy.au #27 6 years ago

    itamae said:
    - no more bugs that corrupt your save file (thanks for that, Namco)
    - online battles
    - proper single-player modes this time
    - saveable replays
    - no Abyss and Charade
    - don't nerf Talim again
    - statistics are always nice; put the statistics back in

    hear hear!

    Also...

    + Bring back multiplatform (Cube & Xbox versions of SCII were the best)
    + Fix Seung Mina (what the hell did Namco do to her in SCIII)
    + Drop the useless character creation mode.

  • tengu #28 6 years ago

    "Sony could have kept their mouths shut and it would have still dreamcasted the dreamcast."

    Sega were already in the shit when the Dreamcast came out though. Sony were only a part of the console's failure, EA and Sega were more responsible for it happening though, weren't they?

    Eh, agree on the Dreamcast version of SC being the best yet(And best 3D fighter ever imo), and while it would be nice if SCIV could be a good game, let alone better than the first, Namco do seem to have lost it a bit in recent years. Wait and see time.

  • Xerx3s #29 6 years ago

    SC3 was a bit of a disappointment, have little hope for part 4. :|

  • Collie #30 6 years ago

    ROUND ONE.

    Punch, punch, punch up, kick, backwards block, low leg sweep, punch, punch, kick, combo-punch. PLAYER ONE WINS.

    ROUND TWO.

    Punch, punch, punch up, kick, backwards block, low leg sweep, punch, punch, kick, special punch. PLAYER ONE WINS.

    Every time the same thing. Beat-em ups have progressed less than most genres put together. It's still rapid button pressing with a few tweaks on top each time no matter how much you try and dress them up. Even football games have moved on (except for retro-y ones like Sensible Soccer 2006: The Bug Premiership). Platformers have more than just jumping from platform to platform. Shooters went 2D-3D, first person, 3rd person, parallax scrolling, vehicle sections, stealth bits etc. Nothing stilll really tops International Karate + since the Eighties. I suppose they can be fun though, I'll not say they aren't, especially for multiplayer, but I couldn't get excited about one beat-em up release to the next.

    Is Soul Caliber better than others in the button-bashing, high RSI-risk genre? I suppose many players put it down to the size of the breasts of the female combatants in the title. Or the developers of the said titles would at least think so. Says it all about certain developers really.

  • PinkSpider #31 6 years ago

    * Team battles again pls. I avoided SC3 because I usually play with the same friend each week and we usually play Team battles (winner gets a shot of vodka).

    Without this it's just vs non varierty-ness.

  • Mr_Sleep #32 6 years ago

    "Every time the same thing. Beat-em ups have progressed less than most genres put together. It's still rapid button pressing with a few tweaks on top each time no matter how much you try and dress them up."

    I think SC2 is different in this regard, if you play someone good (like Kalel) then you really have to do some pretty interesting things to win. It took me quite a long time to get to a stage where I could confidently beat button mashers and not so confidently beat the more practiced opponent. It's definitely a game where the subtleties come out when trying new things and working on technique and knowledge of characters.

  • citizenHUNTER #33 6 years ago

    I never comparded them side by side but the Dreamcast Soul Caliber in my memory looks as good, and somehow possibly even better than the Xbox SC2... possibly because SC2 on the Xbox should have looked superior, but probably only turned out to be marginally so. I found it boring whereas SC on the DC had the perfect atmosphere, cool artwork cut scene bits (i think) and was uttery compelling at the time. Plus, with Kilik and a semi well thought out button bashing aproach, i occasionally looked amazing at fighting games, thankyou SC :D

  • dk_rare #34 6 years ago

    Wasn't the game most popular and loved and the Gamecube? Why then did Nintendo gamers get shafted on SC4? Oh right, Sonys cheque book

  • neuroniky #35 6 years ago

    @Schiraman: it was revolutionary because it was full 3D. It is still the only game that really makes full use of the 3D fighting mechanics IMHO. It gave you weapons to fight with, and it felt like you were using them. Soul Blade was much more like a tekken with weapons, button mashing was a prominent feature, and the console didn't have the power to create more than that. With the DC and Soul Calibur you had contenders dancing one around the other, using their weapons in a very coherent and intuitive way, with over the top animations that actually linked one to another in a smooth way never seen before and that actually enhanced the gameplay. If you was a button masher you could play it and still have fun. If you weren't, you could dance around a button masher and the kill him in style. The game had an inherent balance that was rarely seen in any game.
    If SC wasn't revolutionary, I don't know what ever was...

  • Zuiyo #36 6 years ago

    Please get the name right.

    It's "Soulcalibur", not "Soul Calibur".

  • Zuiyo #37 6 years ago

    "Beat-em ups have progressed less than most genres put together."

    Bullshit. Give SF3 Third Strike a go and eat your words.

  • neuroniky #38 6 years ago

    @Zuiyo: everybody here is using the Soul Calibur spelling used by the article. I always used that, but I noticed on the Namco site is spelled as Soulcalibur. However, aren't you being a little bit too anal correcting people on a thing like that? :D