Hero image: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE screenshot. Image: Bandai Namco Entertainment
Bandai Namco is now looking at releasing Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War as its own application on Steam — a reversal of the position it set out on Thursday, when it said the pre-order bonus could not be released that way.
The change came in a second update from The ACE COMBAT Team, posted on Friday. The team said it had “continued discussions with our platform partners and other relevant parties”, and that “we now expect to move forward with evaluating a change in the distribution method.”
The key line is specific. “Rather than accessing the title through ACE COMBAT™ 8: WINGS OF THEVE, we are exploring the possibility of making ACE COMBAT ZERO available as a standalone application on Steam.”
It is not a promise yet. The team said it is “currently reviewing the specific implementation details and distribution timing”, and that a further update will come once details are final — “including whether this approach can ultimately be realized.”
The first statement, posted on 1 October, took a firmer line. It said Ace Combat Zero “cannot currently be released on Steam as a standalone application” because of licensing restrictions and platform-related considerations, which is why the bonus was placed inside Ace Combat 8 instead.
That post apologised for not communicating the distribution method clearly in advance, and said it could not guarantee any change. Gamers Classified covered that apology, and the team’s separate flight stick statement, in Friday’s report.
The reversal lands just after launch. Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve released on 1 October, and the team’s own launch post went up on Friday. On the Australian Steam store it is A$109.95, or A$139.95 for the Deluxe Edition, and it sits at the top of the store’s Australian top sellers.
The second update closes on a commitment rather than an apology. “We remain committed to delivering the title in a manner that meets player expectations,” the team wrote. For now, anyone who pre-ordered on Steam still reaches Ace Combat Zero through Ace Combat 8 — until the next update says otherwise.
Source: The ACE COMBAT Team on Steam – About ACE COMBAT ZERO ②, The ACE COMBAT Team on Steam – About ACE COMBAT ZERO, Steam – ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE