Ace Combat 8 Breaks Record

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has achieved the series' best PC launch, peaking at over 52,000 concurrent Steam players. This is nearly four times the number of players achieved by Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown in 2019.

The game's developer has apologized for any confusion or frustration caused by the distribution method of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, a pre-order bonus. Due to licensing restrictions and platform-related considerations, the game is not available as a standalone application on Steam.

Giovanni Colantonio, a video game journalist, has expressed concerns over the game's live-service multiplayer component, Ace Combat Online. He found the experience to be overwhelming, with convoluted menus and excessive microtransactions.

The developer has stated that they are evaluating possible options to address player concerns regarding Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. They are discussing potential solutions with their platform partners.

The initial backlash over the pre-order bonus had an impact on the game's user review rating on Steam, which initially dropped to Mixed. However, the rating has since recovered to Mostly Positive.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve was released on October 2, with the Deluxe edition available three days earlier. The game's single-player campaign features 30 thrilling missions, and the live-service multiplayer component has been praised for its tense and exciting moment-to-moment action.