Ace Combat Series Celebrates 30th Anniversary, Fans Demand Remakes and New Titles

Bandai Namco Entertainment's popular flight shooting game series, "Ace Combat," will celebrate its 30th anniversary on June 30, 2025. Series Producer Kazutoki Kono expressed his gratitude via the official X account, stating, "Thank you for your long-standing support. I am deeply grateful. We will cherish our bond with all of you and strive to deliver new感動 (excitement/emotion)." In response, many fans have sent messages of congratulations and expressed high expectations for the future development of the series.

Famitsu.com also lauded the series as "a masterpiece from the early PlayStation era that established the 'flight shooting' genre," underscoring its immeasurable contribution over 30 years in fulfilling countless players' dreams of "flying a fighter jet."

On X, while numerous congratulatory messages such as "Ace Combat is 30 years old, wow..." and "Happy 30th Anniversary, Ace Combat! 🎊" are seen, there's a particularly strong demand for remasters or remakes of past titles. Requests like "I want an Ace Combat 3 remaster," "Please remake Ace Combat 04," and "I'll wait forever for a PS2 trilogy remaster or remake" are pouring in, mentioning specific titles. Furthermore, requests for current-gen compatibility are also seen, such as "Please make Ace Combat 6 playable on Steam, PS, and Switch."

Naturally, anticipation for a new installment is also high, with fans asking, "Where is Ace Combat 8?" and "It's been six and a half years since Ace Combat 7, and it's the 30th anniversary, so I want a new title..." Attention is also focused on the progress of new game development by the new company jointly established by Bandai Namco Entertainment and ILCA. Additionally, some voices are calling for a rerun of past orchestra concerts.

With 30 years of history, the "Ace Combat" series has accumulated a wealth of fan expectations. All eyes are on its future movements to see if it will fulfill these expectations and deliver new aerial battles.

The Context

The Ace Combat series is a long-running franchise developed by Project Aces and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Known for its blend of arcade-style aerial combat with realistic flight elements and dramatic storylines set in a fictional world called Strangereal, it has garnered a dedicated global fanbase. The series first launched on the PlayStation in 1995. The PS2 era, particularly Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, are often considered the "PS2 trilogy" and are highly revered by fans. "X" refers to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. ILCA is a Japanese game development studio that has assisted on major titles, including Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and One Piece Odyssey, indicating their collaboration with Bandai Namco on future projects is a significant development.