Ace Combat 8 ​​developer apologizes for Belkan War pre-order backlash, explains why it happened, and vows to explore possible solutions

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve’s Early Access launch started on a negative note due to some confusion regarding one of the game’s pre-order bonuses. Pre-orders for the aerial action game included a copy of 2006’s Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, but early adopters discovered that it was not a standalone product as they were led to believe when they pre-ordered the game.

Unsurprisingly, players – who paid the Deluxe Edition price of £75/$90 to access the game three days early – were unhappy.

Ace Combat studio has now responded, offering much-needed clarification on why The Belkan War isn’t a standalone game on Steam – while it is on consoles – and outlines the next steps.

“Ace Combat Zero is being offered as a pre-order bonus. Due to licensing restrictions and platform considerations, it cannot currently be released on Steam as a standalone app,” the developer wrote on Steam.

“As a result, we have chosen to make Ace Combat Zero available through Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. We apologize for any confusion or frustration caused by our inability to clearly communicate this distribution method in advance.”

One of the many frustrating side effects of this decision is that Ace Combat 8 ​​must be installed for Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War to be playable. It also locks The Belkan War out of its own Steam cloud saves and achievements, as it exists in a different game. So, will anything be done to address some of these issues? The developer’s statement gives hope.

“We have carefully reviewed player feedback regarding this issue and understand the concerns that have been raised. We are currently evaluating possible options, including discussions with our platform partners,” the statement continued.

“At this time, we cannot guarantee that any changes will be made. However, we are actively exploring potential solutions and will continue to work with relevant partners to address player concerns where possible.”

The initial shock hit Ace Combat 8’s user rating on Steam, although it has since recovered. At the time of writing this article, the rating has changed from mixed to mostly positive. It’s likely that this will get even better as the official launch day of October 2 arrives, as many of these players will at least be aware of the current situation.