The news that intergalactic fan-favourites Darth Vader and Yoda are to appear in Soul Calibur IV may have been wholly unexpected, but the game’s director Katsutoshi Sasaki has said that the it’s a move designed simply to please the fans.

Speaking to Gametrailers, he stated: "The thing that I want to make clear is that we make the game for consumers. It's not for us, it's not for the company.

“When we think about what makes the consumers happy, what do they want to play, what makes them excited about the game, that was guest characters.

“When we thought about what guest characters would fit in the Soul Calibur universe, we naturally ended up with Vader and Yoda."

The Dark Lord of the Sith is set to appear in the PS3 version, whilst Jedi Master Yoda will be keeping it green in the Xbox 360 version. What a tragedy that there’s no Wii incarnation – surely the whiteness of Nintendo’s console would have made R2-D2 a sure fire favourite for a guest appearance. Or a Storm Trooper. Or even Leia in her Episode IV ceremonial robes.