Next Ace Combat

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The next Ace Combat[a] game (occasionally referred to, but not confirmed, as Ace Combat 8[1]) is currently in production. It will be developed by Bandai Namco Aces, a joint venture between ILCA and Bandai Namco Entertainment's internal Project Aces team. The game will be a next-generation game running on Unreal Engine 5.[2]

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 that "the needs of the players are becoming more diversified".[1] Two years later, Shimomoto remarked that the project's start point "depends on who you ask"; he recalled the concept of the game being solidified around the time Skies Unknown sold 2 million copies[3] as announced in July 2020,[4] while Masato Kanno stated that he was thinking about the next game after the release of the Season Pass missions which concluded in November 2019. Kono remarked that he was thinking about the next game since the master copy of Skies Unknown was produced, remarking that it was the nature of being a brand director.[3]

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"[5] 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.[6]

By January 2024, the game had reached a point in development where Kono felt confident in sharing vague details about the game on social media. Calling it "co-creation" with the fans, he began posting sporadic details about the game's development on X (formerly known as Twitter).[7]

On June 13, 2024, English voice actor Mike Bodie's resume was discovered to have a list of unannounced games. One of them is a Bandai Namco Studios game abbreviated as "AC8" where Bodie voices "Cope" and a cargo pilot. The game was listed with a 2025 release year.[8]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 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.
  2. https://project-aces.ilca.co.jp/
  3. 3.0 3.1 "『エースコンバット』新プロジェクトはどうなる? 必要とされている人材とは? 8人のキーマンによるスペシャル座談会!". Famitsu. Published on 27 November 2021. Retrieved on 28 January 2024.
  4. https://www.thegamer.com/ace-combat-7-2-million-25th-anniversary/
  5. Romano, Sal. "New Ace Combat game in development with ILCA". Gematsu. Published on 18 August 2021. Retrieved on 18 August 2021.
  6. 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.
  7. Kono, Kazutoki [@kazutoki] (26 January 2024). https://twitter.com/kazutoki/status/1750898669447196953. X.
  8. Bari, Muhammad Ali. "Clockwork Revolution & Other Unannounced Games Release Window Surfaces In Leak". Twisted Voxel. Published on 14 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 June 2014. Retrieved on 14 June 2014.

Footnotes

  1. ACE COMBAT New Project Under Development (ACE COMBAT 新プロジェクト開発中 Ēsukonbatto Shin Purojekuto Kaihatsu-chū)