Ace Combat 8 Developer Apologizes for Belkan War Pre-Order Issue, Explains Reasoning and Promises Solutions

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve's early access launch faced criticism due to confusion over a pre-order bonus. The game was advertised with a copy of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, but players discovered it wasn't a standalone title as implied.

This angered players who paid the Deluxe edition price (£75 / $90) for three-day early access.

The studio clarified why Ace Combat Zero is integrated with Ace Combat 8 on Steam, unlike its console release, and detailed their plans.

"Ace Combat Zero is offered as a pre-order bonus. Due to licensing and platform constraints, it cannot be released as a standalone application on Steam currently," the developer stated on Steam. "We chose to make Ace Combat Zero available through Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. We apologize for any confusion or frustration caused by our failure to clearly communicate this distribution method beforehand."

A significant issue for players is that Ace Combat 8 must be installed for Ace Combat Zero to be playable. This also prevents The Belkan War from using its own Steam cloud saves and achievements, as it operates under a different game entry. The developer's statement offers some hope for addressing these pain points.

"We have reviewed player feedback and understand the concerns. We are evaluating options, including discussions with our platform partners," the statement read. "We cannot guarantee changes at this time, but we are actively exploring solutions and will continue working with relevant partners to address player concerns where possible."

The initial backlash impacted Ace Combat 8's Steam review score, which has since improved from Mixed to Mostly Positive. The score is expected to rise further with the official October 2nd launch, as more players will be aware of the situation.