Kazutoki Kono, Brand Director of the Ace Combat series, recently revealed in an interview with INVEN at the Bilibili Youxiankan event in Shanghai that the campaign content scale of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xiphos will be the largest in the series' history, even surpassing the original Japanese version of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere.
Kono stated that this title will exceed Ace Combat 3 in terms of the number of campaign missions, cutscenes, and other content. The original Ace Combat 3 was known for its complex story branches, 52 missions, multiple endings, and numerous cutscenes, spanning two CDs. Although Ace Combat 8 adopts a linear narrative rather than a multi-branch structure, Kono confidently claims it will deliver "the largest-scale campaign in the series' history."
The event also unveiled a brand-new playable stealth fighter—the fictional aircraft "FA-36 Game"—which will join the game's roster.
Separate from the campaign mode, the game's online mode will offer various cooperative gameplay options, as well as special missions, limited-time PvP, and PvE content. Kono stated that the online mode will basically operate as a live-service game, with the development team "naturally considering producing additional content" based on player interest after launch.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xiphos will be released on October 2, launching on PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.