With Ace Combat 8: Wings of Xiphos scheduled to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on October 2, 2026, the development team has already begun looking ahead to post-launch plans. According to Polygon, series brand director Kazutoki Kono hinted in an interview that the game might receive story DLC, and even left open the possibility of Ace Combat 9.
"We have announced that Ace Combat 8 will include live-service elements, so a dedicated team is needed to continuously develop new content," said Kazutoki Kono. "I haven't gone into detail on this yet, but even after the team completes work on the main story, another challenge awaits them. Looking further ahead, perhaps to Ace Combat 9, we will continue this series."
Kazutoki Kono made the above remarks while discussing Bandai Namco Aces. Established in 2022, this studio is an independent team dedicated to the Ace Combat series. He explained that previously, development teams were dispersed to other projects between games, whereas the new structure allows developers to focus on the series.
Bandai Namco has not officially confirmed story DLC for Ace Combat 8. The game's official website FAQ only states: "The Ace Combat series has a long history of providing post-launch content for players. While we are not yet ready to share details about future content plans, we look forward to sharing more information in the future."
Kazutoki Kono's comments are the first indication that future updates may include additional missions. This aligns with the approach taken by Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, which added three extra missions after its release.