Bandai Namco has announced it will make Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War a standalone game on PC, reversing a controversial decision that required players to download all of Ace Combat 8 just to access the 2006 PS2 classic.
What Happened
Players who pre-ordered Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve on PC or console received Ace Combat 0: The Belkan War as a bonus. On consoles, AC0 is a standalone title — but on PC, it was packaged as what effectively functioned like DLC: players had to download the entirety of Ace Combat 8 and launch AC0 through the AC8 launcher. The move sparked significant backlash, with fans tanking the game’s Steam reviews.
The Fix
On the game’s Steam page (spotted by Wario64), Bandai Namco announced it will update the Ace Combat 0 pre-order bonus as a standalone application. The studio said the process is in the final stages of quality assurance and compatibility testing for an imminent but as-yet unscheduled release. The devs are also working on fixes for PC crashes affecting Ace Combat 8.
A Strong Seller
Despite the controversy, Ace Combat 8 is performing well. Earlier this month, Bandai Namco announced the game had sold over 1 million copies since its October 2 release — making it the fastest-selling entry in the franchise’s history.
Why It Matters
The reversal is a small but notable win for PC players, who have long pushed back against anti-consumer packaging decisions. With the standalone release, players will be able to download and play Ace Combat Zero without installing a separate, much larger game first.