Rumor: Ace Combat 8 Could Be in Development

Highlights

• Bandai Namco may be working on Ace Combat 8, potentially reviving the combat flight simulator series after a 5-year hiatus.
• Ace Combat 7 was well-received, utilizing Unreal Engine 4 and boasting 47 playable classic planes.
• Some fans are skeptical of the leak, while others are optimistic of a potential franchise revival.

Bandai Namco may be working on the next game in the Ace Combat series, according to popular and reliable leaker. If the rumor turns out to be true, it would mean that Bandai Namco’s project codenamed Chronicle will revive the combat flight simulator series after an absence of more than five years.

The Ace Combat series has a history dating back to 1995, and Namco/Bandai Namco Entertainment released one new game in the series every one to three years from its debut until Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy+‘s release in 2015. The most recent game in the series, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, came out in January 2019, continuing to add new Ace Combat content through its second anniversary.

The source of this rumor is Midori, who is best known as a leaker of Persona news. Midori made a tweet on May 23 claiming that Bandai Namco’s next large-scale project would be the Chronicle project. While some fans have been hoping that Bandai Namco is working on the next entry in the popular Tales Of RPG series, when asked for clarification on what the Chronicle project is, Midori simply stated without context, “I think it is Ace Combat 8.”

Ace Combat 7 Was Well-Received by Fans

The most recent game, Ace Combat 7, was the first in the series to utilize Unreal Engine 4, boosting the visual qualities of the combat flight sim to new heights. As of its most recent DLC update, Ace Combat 7 sported 47 playable classic planes, ranging from the speedy but lightly equipped F-104C Starfighter to the heavily armored CFA-44 Nosferatu. The game received generally favorable reviews from both fans and critics at launch, with its different console versions and PC version receiving a 7.8 to 8 out of 10 on Metacritic.

Regarding the Ace Combat 8 rumor, while usually a reliable source, Midori generally only leaks Persona and other Sega and Atlus content. Bandai Namco isn’t on her usual reporting beat, and while some commenters in a Reddit thread related to the leak are excited that she’s branching out, others are skeptical of the change of pace, with some even speculating that the Twitter account may have changed hands and is being run by a different person. Midori shocked the Persona online community when she announced on March 27 that she was going to stop using her Twitter account, but she returned to posting on April 2, stating she came back due to the support of fans.