Ace Combat 8 Trailer Reveals Largest Online Mode in Series History
The online mode introduces the series' first persistent lobby and its largest end content, a structural addition to a franchise that has not had a numbered entry in seven years.
Key Facts
- Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve launches October 2 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
- The online mode supports up to 100 players in a shared air base lobby, a first for the series.
- CooP Assault is a PvE mode where two teams of four compete for high scores, while CooP Warfare is a PvPvE mode with NPC units.
- The Deluxe Edition grants early access on September 29, and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is included as a pre-order bonus.
- The Ace Combat series has shipped over 21 million copies cumulatively.
Reporting from 5 sources: Anime News Network, 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer, and 1 more.
Bandai Namco Entertainment released the online mode trailer for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve on September 1. The mode is positioned as the game's end content and the largest online mode in series history. Players take the role of mercenary pilots gathering at an air base lobby where up to 100 players can connect at once. The main missions are CooP Assault, a PvE mode in which two teams of four cooperate on missions and compete for high scores, and CooP Warfare, a PvPvE mode in which two teams of four fight each other alongside NPC units. CooP Warfare includes a threat level system: surviving without being shot down raises your threat, which increases score gained from kills but also the score given to opponents when you are shot down. Reaching three stars marks a player as an ace aircraft. Special missions include Emergency Sortie, where eight players face the series' signature giant weapons, and Scramble, a four-player fight against NPC rival units. The game launches October 2 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
Aircraft in the online mode are divided into four roles: fighter, attacker, multi-role, and electronic warfare, and players can customize appearance with skins, emblems, and weathering. The threat system in CooP Warfare is the mode's risk-reward core. A player who keeps scoring without being shot down builds threat, shown as stars. Each star raises the score earned from destroying enemies, but also the score handed to the opposing team if the player is shot down. At three stars the player is designated an ace aircraft, and an ace shooting down another ace produces the largest score swing in the match.
The ACE PASS battle pass updates every two months; Season 1 offers the ADFX-02 Morgan -PIXY- as a level 1 reward in the paid PREMIUM ACE PASS. The lobby also includes an arcade cabinet running Namco classic titles, a jukebox playing music from past games, and a military training area for up to four players. The series has shipped over 21 million copies cumulatively, and Ace Combat 8 is the first numbered entry in seven years. The Deluxe Edition grants early access on September 29, and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is included as a pre-order bonus.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 5 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime News Network News Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Game's Trailer Previews Online Multiplayer
- 4Gamer.net 「ACE COMBAT 8」，オンラインモードの情報を公開。最大100人が集う空軍基地を拠点に，さまざまなミッションへ出撃できる
- GAME Watch (Impress) 「エースコンバット8」のオンラインモード公開！ PvEミッションやカスタマイズ要素も
- Denfaminicogamer 『エースコンバット8』オンラインモードの紹介トレーラーが公開。協力してミッションを遂行するPvEやチーム対抗のPvPvEモードなど、シリーズ史上最大規模のエンドコンテンツとして登場
- Game Spark 『エースコンバット8』オンラインモードはPvEにPvPvE、最大100人ロビーも！ナムコクラシックタイトルが遊べるアーケード筐体もロビーに用意