Assassin's Creed's Ezio confirmed as Soul Calibur 5 character

Namco has announced that Ezio Auditore da Firenze, star of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Revelations, will appear as a guest character in Soul Calibur 5.

This will come as a massive surprise to those of you who didn't catch the off-screen Soul Calibur 5 character roster shot that showed up earlier in the week. Thanks Namco. Way to spoil our Soul Calibur canvas giveaway.

Ooh, they've released the first trailer too. Which looks fabulous. Combos that mix crossbow shots with saber blows? Come back, Namco, all is forgiven.

In an interview conducted by CVG, Soul Calibur 5 producer Hisaharo Tago called the Master Assassin a "perfect match" for Soul Calibur, adding that Ubisoft had been "very strict" about the character's incorporation. Ezio has more weapons than any other Soul Calibur fighter, and can fight from all ranges.

Namco has also announced the return of Dampierre, a comic character first glimpsed in PSP outing Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. Catch his trailer below.

Soul Calibur 5 launches on 5th February in the UK and 31st January 2012 in the US. Check our last preview here.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations releases worldwide 15th November. Have a glance at our multiplayer hands-on.