Revealed at the 2025 Game Awards, Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is the upcoming 18th installment in the Ace Combat franchise, set for a 2026 release date for Playstation, Xbox and PC. The game was developed as a joint cooperation between ILCA and Bandai Namco Entertainment's internal Project Aces team. The game will be a next-generation game running on Unreal Engine 5.[1]
Further information will be updated here from time to time.
Development[]
The groundbreaking success of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, released in January 2019, led Project Aces to begin planning for the next Ace Combat game by September of the same year. In an interview, brand director Kazutoki Kono and Skies Unknown producer Manabu Shimomoto discussed the need to advance the franchise "one step higher" and how "the needs of the players are becoming more diversified".[2]
On August 18, 2021, during a trimmed-down livestream of a lengthy discussion between Ace Combat development staff, Kono confirmed that the next Ace Combat was in production. He also announced that ILCA, who had previously worked on Skies Unknown, would be jointly developing the game with them. Kono explained that appeasing "many fans of all tastes"[3] was not a simple task for the small team at Project Aces, so ILCA will be more deeply involved to add more staff to the next game's development.[4]
Plot[]
The game takes place in July 2029, during an invasion of the Federation of Central Usea by the Republic of Sotoa.[5] The player character is named Rex, an FCU pilot aboard the FCU Navy carrier Endurance. The "Rex" we follow was the co-pilot for FCU ace, Jan "Rex" Cope. He bore the nickname "Wings of Theve"; though he was shot down and presumably drowned during the early stages of the war, while his co-pilot survived and got on a rescue raft with a fellow (currently unnamed) pilot before being saved by the Endurance, which had retreated far from the frontlines.
Gallery[]
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Unknown aerial warship.
Trivia[]
- The nickname "Wings of Theve" worn by Rex and his former flight leader is a reference to the name of the Federation of Central Usea's capital city. Prior to Ace Combat 8, the FCU's capital had been left unnamed.
- The airship seen in the release trailer of Ace Combat 8 bears a resemblance to the Arsenal Bird. It also seems to show off a new mechanic in the game: the ability to cause damage through debris.
References[]
- ↑ https://project-aces.ilca.co.jp/
- ↑ Nelva, Giuseppe. "Ace Combat 7 Interview: Story DLC, The Road to Ace Combat 8, Remakes, 25th Anniversary Surprises, & More". Twinfinite. Published on 18 September 2019. Retrieved on 18 August 2021.
- ↑ Romano, Sal. "New Ace Combat game in development with ILCA". Gematsu. Published on 18 August 2021. Retrieved on 18 August 2021.
- ↑ Nelva, Giuseppe. "New Ace Combat Game in Development as AC7 Has Shipped Over 3 Million Copies; New Content Announced". Twinfinite. Published on 18 August 2021. Retrieved on 18 August 2021.
- ↑ https://www.bandainamcoent.com/games/ace-combat-8
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