Developer Project Soul and publisher Bandai Namco have announced the latest installment in the "Soulcalibur" series. "Soulcalibur VI" will feature veteran characters Mitsurugi and Sophitia and is set to arrive next year.

The upcoming three-dimensional weapon-based fighting game was unveiled via an announcement trailer shown during The Game Awards in Los Angeles, California on Thursday. In the trailer, younger versions of Mitsurugi and Sophitia are seen duking it out, fueling speculations about where the upcoming game is set in the timeline of the series.

Bandai Namco confirmed these speculations and announced that "Soulcalibur VI" will be taking players back to the beginning of the series' narrative. The company also teased that the game will be revisiting the events of the very first "Soulcalibur" title.

The upcoming game will feature a diverse roster, which will be a mixture of new and returning characters. Although the company has yet to announce the list of playable characters included in "Soulcaliber VI," it's expected that popular ones like Siegfried, Ivy, Taki and Kilik will be part of the game.

Moreover, Bandai Namco confirmed that the 8-Way Run movement system that's been the signature of the series will also make its way to "Soulcalibur VI."

In addition, a new gameplay technique called Reversal Edge will be introduced. With this skill, players will be able to execute a powerful counterattack even while in guard position. However, players will need to read the opponent's attack in order to execute it.

The reveal trailer also showed Mitsurugi and Sophitia wielding glowing weapons, suggesting a possible mechanic involving weapons that could be introduced in the new game.

"Soulcalibur VI" will be released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. It is expected to arrive sometime in 2018, six years since the release of the previous "Soulcalibur" title. "Soulcalibur V" was launched for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2012.