During Gamescom 2026, I not only had the chance to play Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, but I also got to interview two of its lead creators: brand director of the Ace Combat series, Kazutoki Kono, and producer Manabu Shimomoto. We had the opportunity to discuss the pillars that helped Ace Combat 8 stay true to the franchise, the game’s new mechanics, and some of the finer details within. We hope you enjoy this exclusive interview, and we’d like to thank Bandai Namco for making this coverage possible!
It has been seven years since the last Ace Combat and technology-wise, graphics have evolved, visuals have evolved, and gameplay mechanisms have evolved. What are some elements of this new entry that you were able to do that were perhaps not possible in any other Ace Combat?
Kazutoki Kono (KK): The first technology that I like to refer to is the topic of the “Cloudly.” It creates clouds that are really, really thick with this very big volume, and it’s like a fluffy, proper cloud. And things that we couldn’t do in the case of the 7, but then can realize in 8, is the first-person environment in a cinematic scene as well, in an interactive cinematic scene. Something else new in Ace Combat 8, something special, is an updated disruption system. So you have more freedom in terms of aerial combat. And lastly, because of the technology evolution and the advancements in the last 7 years, we were able to deliver the largest online modes within the franchise.
On that note, the team has talked about deciding what should evolve in Ace Combat 8 and what has to remain core to the franchise. Was there a feature or idea that maybe you wanted or thought about implementing and experimented with, but rejected because it kind of strayed too far away from that core Ace Combat identity?
Manabu Shimomoto (MS): In general, we focus on the pillars, or the core essence of Ace Combat. So there weren’t many experiences where we moved away from that core essence.
These pillars of what Ace Combat is have been maintained through 30 years now, and the franchise has been very successful as a result of it. Does it ever get restricted being in those pillars? And is there ever like a desire to kind of try something really out there? Or do you always want to stay true to the fans knowing what they like really want to expect rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak?
MS: So the pillars of the franchise has three elements. First is to freely fly through the skies. Second is to overcome the enemies and challenges. And as a result, you become an Ace Pilot. So therefore, as long as we can preserve these pillars, the three elements, ideas can be anything. So we can challenge new ideas or varying ideas to deliver these pillars. So there’s no restrictions.
There’s a lot of people that will be jumping into this as their first Ace Combat game. What was the importance of making sure that this game was mechanically sound and fun to control for both newcomers and returning series vets?
MS: We introduced four difficulty levels in the game to satisfy both the newcomers and experienced players who have played all the titles in the franchise. For the newcomers, we also offer tutorials and training as well, because it is a very unique experience for players to take control of the fighter jets. For the newcomers, you
get used to taking control of the fighter jet so that you get to experience the pillars that we discussed earlier.
So the game caters to both experiences. When players beat the campaign mode, the online mode is environmentally introduced. So for newcomers, we have PvE, while for the experienced players, we have PvP. This is so we can reach a wide range of players.
On the subject of PVE, one of the modes that interested me the most was the one where you fight against the Superweapons from previous entries in the franchise. Where did that idea kind of come from? What was it like getting to sort of go back to earlier entries in the series and kind of bring in these elements and these Superweapons from previous games for modern hardware and audiences?
MS: This answer relates to your previous questions about restrictions: this mode demonstrates that there is no restrictions to new ideas. What we tried to offer to players is the benefits and great feeling of the assignments, so in the online mode you are enjoying all the shenanigans with friends and working together with comrades. So, we thought that bringing back the bosses from the previous titles would be really exciting for players. We also wanted to go out of the box and beyond for these titles.
Something about the gameplay that I really admired is the aforementioned impressive new mechanical enhancements like all the new cloud detail. Plus, the sound design now feels way more realistic and detailed? How did that kind of making those changes and adding in those new features inform the way you handled the game? How did the sound design make gameplay better, and how did the visuals make gameplay better?
MS: Ah! Good question! I’ll start with the sound elements. With both sound and visuals, we want to create something that is really authentic. So, when it comes to sound, specifically, when it comes to explosion sounds, we use the gunpowder sample and also we also researched on the explosion sounds, and what the sound would be depending on the distance from the explosive point. So, this research is as deep as the academia research as well. Based on that effort, we created something that feels like authentic in three dimensional environments. We experimented with different sounds in the hanger, and the storage as well. We studied the reflections based on the kind of fighter jet as well. So we put a lot of effort into finding what the sounds would be like.
KK: With visuals, the technology advances in every title and generation. But, we like to focus on really ambitious upgrades, something beyond what the current technology can realize. We always try to look at the use of cutting edge technology, and what we can do beyond that, which tells you that there is even more room to improve after Ace Combat 8. But as for Ace Combat 8, we achieved as much as we can achieved, so the best of our achievement.
Great! I absolutely think the game is coming out really well so far and I cannot wait to play more!
KK and MS: Thank you!
