Ace Combat Zero Is Becoming a Standalone Steam App After Backlash Over Its 140GB Ace Combat 8 Bundle

Bandai Namco is reversing course on one of Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve’s most criticized launch decisions. As first reported by Kotaku, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, the remastered port of the 2006 PS2 classic offered as a pre-order bonus, is being turned into its own standalone application on Steam after weeks of fan backlash over how the bonus was originally bundled.

From “Not Possible” to “Imminent”

When Ace Combat 8 entered early access on September 29, PC players who had the Zero bonus discovered they could only play it by first installing and launching the roughly 140GB Ace Combat 8, since the port was nested inside the new game’s files rather than shipped as its own executable, unlike on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. On September 30, Bandai Namco told Steam users the standalone route “cannot currently be released on Steam as a standalone application,” citing licensing restrictions and platform considerations. After the backlash dragged down Ace Combat 8’s user review score, Project Aces apologized on October 2 for not explaining the setup beforehand and said it was evaluating options. On October 13, the developer confirmed the reversal, saying the standalone version is now in final quality assurance and compatibility testing, with save data expected to carry over via Steam Cloud and no firm release date announced yet.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, via Steam.

Still a Bonus, Not a Separate Purchase

The fix only helps players who already own the pre-order bonus. Bandai Namco has reiterated that Ace Combat Zero still cannot be sold as a standalone product to anyone who missed the promotion, since the licenses covering the aircraft featured in the 2006 original have expired and only permit it to be distributed as a giveaway, not sold on its own.

A Blockbuster Debut Regardless

The bundling mess hasn’t dented Ace Combat 8’s commercial momentum. Bandai Namco confirmed on October 9 that the game passed 1 million copies sold worldwide faster than any other entry in the franchise’s 30 year history, and the publisher describes it as the second highest rated Ace Combat game by critical consensus, a claim that lines up with the overwhelmingly positive scores Gamersuniverse covered at launch.

Keep the adventure going! Check out more Gaming News on Gamersuniverse.

Picture Source: Bandai Namco