Soul Calibur IV To Get Online Play

Namco Bandai has confirmed that its upcoming beat 'em up sequel, Soul Calibur IV, will feature online play.

Speaking to American mag EGM, Soul Calibur IV Director Katsutoshi Sasaki said, "What's changed this time round is that the next-gen platforms have network infrastructure already in place. We've heard from fans that they really want the game to be online, so we figured that, with the current environment, we really couldn't make SC4 without online play."

Traditionally developers have shied away from online play in beat 'em ups, reasoning that networks aren't fast enough to support the split-second timing necessary.

The create-a-character feature introduced in Soul Calibur III will make a comeback in IV, but its unclear how that will work online. "We definitely want to allow users to fight with their customized characters during online play. But we're unsure whether or not you'll be able to trade characters with friends," Sasaki said.

You can take a peak at the first teaser of the upcoming game right here.