Namco's acclaimed fighting game franchise, to which publisher Namco Bandai Games refers alternately as Soul Calibur and Soulcalibur, will be seeing its fourth main iteration on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, reports 1up. A brief, non-gameplay Soul Calibur IV teaser trailer was released directly to the site by Namco Bandai. Series developer Project Soul is returning to helm creation of the game.

"Soulcalibur has been a cornerstone franchise for Namco Bandai Games and this latest edition will build upon its legacy of groundbreaking fighting experiences," said Namco Bandai executive VP Makoto Iwai. "With Soulcalibur IV, long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise will be amazed by its visual beauty and intense, pulse pounding weapon combat."

Following the multiplatform release of Soul Calibur II (PS2, Xbox, GCN), Soul Calibur III was released exclusively for PlayStation 2, a controversial move among series fans. The original Soul Calibur was converted to Dreamcast from arcades.

Existing characters Ivy, Mitsurugi and Nightmare will return for the series' fourth iteration, according to 1UP's report; the site promises additional details will be revealed in the upcoming issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly.

Today's news comes on the heels of the announcement of Soulcalibur Legends, a Wii-exclusive action/adventure game set in the Soul Calibur universe and set to ship this winter.