Ace Combat 8 takes off with record numbers, but its pre-order bonus blows up in its face

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve should be celebrating. According to Vida Extra, its launch ranks among the best in the entire series and has broken records. Lately, however, the conversation has shifted to something else: the pre-order bonus for the Deluxe Edition, which costs 90 euros, didn't arrive the way buyers expected. The studio, Bandai Namco Aces Inc., has had to apologize to players.

Why does this matter? Because it touches a very sensitive point: what it really means to own a game in the age of digital libraries. The bonus was Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, a 2006 classic. When early access opened, buyers discovered that it didn't show up as a standalone product on Steam, PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. What was sold as a gift has ended up as a mere add-on to the new game.

What you need to know

• The Deluxe Edition of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve (90 euros) included Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, originally released in 2006, as a pre-order bonus.
• The classic isn't delivered as a standalone game on PC (Steam), PS5 or Xbox Series X/S: to run it, you need Ace Combat 8 installed.
• On Steam, Ace Combat Zero has no achievements of its own and no separate cloud saves.
• Buyers' frustration turned into complaints and negative reviews, and Bandai Namco Aces ended up apologizing.
• All of this overshadows a launch that, according to the source, has broken records for the franchise.

What exactly happened and who is affected

The issue affects everyone who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition, regardless of platform. The expectation was reasonable: if you're given a full game, you'd expect it to appear in your library as just another title, with its own icon, its own achievements and its own save files. Instead, Zero depends entirely on the new game. If you ever want to replay the 2006 campaign, you'll have to keep Wings of Theve installed even if you no longer play it.

On PC, it's a double blow. Without their own achievements, completionists who love squeezing every last bit out of a game lose one of the layers that most extends a title's lifespan on Steam. And without separate cloud saves, anyone who plays on multiple machines loses a convenience we now take for granted. These aren't minor details: they're part of what buyers understand they're paying for when they're promised an extra game.

It's worth being cautious about what comes next. The source confirms there was an apology following the wave of negative reviews, but we don't know the details of what the final fix will be. Until there's an official statement with concrete measures, the sensible thing is not to take anything for granted.

Our take

Here at Underworld Lordz, we're clear on this: this isn't a technical glitch, it's a poorly communicated product decision. Nobody accidentally builds a game that only launches from another one. If the plan was to include Zero as integrated content, it needed to be explained with total clarity before pre-orders opened, especially for a 90-euro edition. The apology is welcome, but it came only after the community had to speak up through negative reviews, and that leaves a bad taste.

For competitive players and content creators, this case is especially frustrating. A classic like Ace Combat Zero has a lot to offer for challenges, speedruns and nostalgia streams, and relying on another game's installation, without achievements or cloud saves, makes exactly that kind of content harder. On top of that, the noise around the controversy drowns out what should be good news: the series is back in force with a record-breaking launch. It's a shame the studio shot itself in the foot at its best moment.

That said, we also want to be fair: the fact that the studio responded and apologized is better than the silence other companies have gotten us used to. Now it has to prove the apology comes with action. If Zero eventually arrives as a standalone product, with its own achievements and saves, this stumble will be remembered as a minor footnote. If not, it will be yet another example of why pre-order bonuses deserve less and less trust.

What do you think?

Maybe you pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition, or maybe you're waiting to see how this saga ends before jumping in. Either way, we want to hear from you. Do you think it's acceptable for a bonus game to depend on another game to work, or should Bandai Namco Aces deliver it as a standalone title? Let us know in the team chat or on our Discord.