Ace Combat 8 - Wings of Theve coming 2026

[davidwhangchoi]

since we got a AC7 thread

[Old_Nash_II]

We need a Macross game like Ace Combat franchise 

[mikeszekely]

Noice.  I mean, I think I'd prefer an HD remaster collection (for PC) of the original PS2 games, since they were the highlight of the series for me, but 7 was still a lot better than 6 and Assault Horizon.  As long as it's at least as it's set in Strangereal and at least as good as 7, I'm in.

Edited yesterday at 04:33 AM by mikeszekely

[anime52k8]

I never did get around to playing AC7. looks good though.

 

[Duke Togo]

The missile spam in AC7 was exhausting. Hoping for less of that in 8. 

[TangledThorns]

AC7 air combat was fun but the cut scenes are sooooo terrible that I had to skip them. 

[AN/ALQ128]

The Top Gun: Maverick influence on these cockpit cam shots is pretty strong.

[Old_Nash_II]

I hope that someday Bandai decides to release a collection of the franchise; to this day, the 6 installment remains stuck on Xbox.

[mikeszekely]

46 minutes ago, Old_Nash_II said:

I hope that someday Bandai decides to release a collection of the franchise; to this day, the 6 installment remains stuck on Xbox.

I'd buy it, if it came out on PC.  From my POV, 2-5, Zero, X, and Joint Assault remain stuck on PlayStation consoles.

[David Hingtgen]

I presume we won't be limited to carrier-capable-only planes, for too long.  Need my YF-23...

 

(and no way would the F-35 be the "canon" final mission plane to save the world!)

[AN/ALQ128]

Urging every AC fan on here to read the Famitsu interview released concurrently with the trailer. Awful lot of juicy info tidbits in there, main ones I've highlighted.

Engine is Unreal 5, weather rendering tech upgraded from the COTS trueSKY software to an in-house program spearheaded by Masato Kanno, art director for the game.

In-house software is called "Cloudly", can render multiple layers of cloud formation, can be used to notice altitude in a diagetic way.

Average map size is now 10k square km, with all assets rendered at 1:1 scale, unlike previous titles.

Cutscenes are 1st person POV, camera is player controlled and you can freely look around to catch "offscreen" details while interacting with characters

F/A-18E is the hero plane due to the carrier wing setting and also due to the influence of a recent "major motion picture", F-35 was deemed to be "too new".

Post stall maneuvers as a player controlled gameplay mechanic are being reintroduced, perhaps with some enhancements over the limited system in AC7.

Highest amount of radio dialogue recorded for an Ace Combat title, with special lines that are reserved for players who can clear missions with remarkable skill.

https://www.famitsu.com/article/202512/60393

https://geekculture.co/ace-combat-8-wings-of-theve-interview/

[mikeszekely]

7 hours ago, David Hingtgen said:

I presume we won't be limited to carrier-capable-only planes, for too long.  Need my YF-23...

 

(and no way would the F-35 be the "canon" final mission plane to save the world!)

Come to think of it, it's a bit sad that I've been playing this series for nearly 30 years and in that time "new" American planes have mostly been new variants of the F-15, F-16, and F/A-18.

[Old_Nash_II]

8 hours ago, David Hingtgen said:

I presume we won't be limited to carrier-capable-only planes, for too long.  Need my YF-23...

 

(and no way would the F-35 be the "canon" final mission plane to save the world!)

Sadly, inútil now they not include the old Super Tucano or Brazilian AMX A-1

[electric indigo]

11 hours ago, Old_Nash_II said:

I hope that someday Bandai decides to release a collection of the franchise; to this day, the 6 installment remains stuck on Xbox.

Wake me up when they remake "Electrosphere".

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

As long as Bamco doesn't treat the F-4 as DLC again, I'll be good.

[AN/ALQ128]

● While it's a flight shooter, missions like bombing runs mean I personally pay close attention to terrain and water surface details when playing. This trailer didn't really show that. How much has it improved compared to the previous game?

Ko: With new hardware and Unreal Engine 5, improvements over the previous game are a given. For urban environments like cityscapes, we've experimented with using Houdini for city generation, resulting in exceptionally well-crafted buildings. For natural terrain, we've employed satellite imagery and new techniques, significantly enhancing the rendering of trees and forests compared to the previous game. Sea and water surface rendering has also been strengthened through new technologies. This trailer highlights the protagonist engaging in aerial dogfights and focuses on the aircraft carrier storyline. Please look forward to future reveals of terrain and in-game combat footage.

● The fighter jets' exterior visuals are satisfyingly realistic. Is the cockpit interior rendered to the same level of detail?

Ko: Cockpit reproduction has also seen significant advancement from the previous title. Modern fighters have cleaner cockpits, so the difference might not be immediately obvious, but the A-6, for instance, was recreated with such meticulous detail it was astonishing at first. Shi: Older fighters like the A-6 have far more buttons than modern ones. Also, as you can see in the footage, light reflections are visible on the canopy.

● The Endurance is set as an old-school carrier, but do you start with the Super Hornet?

Shi: There are two points to explain here. The reason we used the Super Hornet in this video and PV is that the story unfolds around the carrier, so we chose the most popular carrier-based fighter, the Super Hornet. Also, in the previous game, the F-22 Raptor was the key visual, but it wasn't the initial aircraft you flew. Since Ace Combat's campaign mode includes RPG elements, you gradually upgrade to stronger fighters. The Super Hornet isn't the initial aircraft. As for which aircraft you actually start with and how you upgrade, please look forward to future information.

https://bbs.ruliweb.com/news/read/219204

The A-6 Intruder is a playable aircraft, nice.