{"rewrite":{"id":"r_f56114ef18f13d8c5bfd4cc4","clusterId":"c_c2deb348e77ac829729e756a","slug":"bandai-namco-sees-path-to-standalone-ace-combat-zero-on-steam","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Bandai Namco Sees Path To Standalone Ace Combat Zero On Steam","summary":"Bandai Namco Entertainment says there is now a prospect of changing how the pre-order bonus for the Steam version of ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE is delivered. The bonus, a port of ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR, launches as a standalone game on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions of Ace Combat 8. On Steam it is provided as a DLC executable that requires the main game to be installed, so it cannot be launched on its own. The company said licensing restrictions and platform-side specifications prevent standalone distribution on Steam at present. In an update on the night of October 2, the day Ace Combat 8 released, Bandai Namco said it has continued talks with platform partners and related companies and is now considering a standalone app format, with the specific implementation and timing still under review. The port has no plans for standalone sale and is offered only through the Ace Combat 8 pre-order and physical early purchase bonus.","whyItMatters":"The reversal came within a day of release, and Bandai Namco still will not promise the change is possible, so Steam buyers are being asked to trust a fix that has no date or confirmed implementation.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe second notice, posted the night of October 2, goes further than the October 1 statement. Bandai Namco wrote that talks with platform partners and other related companies produced \u0026#34;a prospect of proceeding with consideration toward changing from the current distribution format of launching and playing the main game\u0026#34; to a standalone app on Steam. The company is still weighing the specific implementation method and distribution timing, and will only give details once it knows whether the change is possible at all.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe October 1 notice had stopped at discussing countermeasures and apologizing for what it called insufficient prior guidance. The port itself is a re-release of the 2006 PS2 title, set during the 1995 Belkan War, and it has no plans for standalone sale. Bandai Namco says it is available only through the Ace Combat 8 pre-order and physical early purchase bonus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSteam buyers were not the only early complaint. Reports of crashes and frame rate drops on some PC environments appeared during the three-day deluxe early access that began September 29, and Bandai Namco said it was investigating the causes of forced shutdowns. Support for flight sticks was announced on September 30, with the development team calling the gap from Ace Combat 7 an important issue.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Bandai Namco's fix for Ace Combat Zero on Steam still leaves it unsold. The standalone app is for pre-order bonus delivery only, not store distribution.","twitterPost":"Ace Combat Zero's standalone Steam app stays a bonus. Bandai Namco says no standalone sale is planned.","threadsPost":"Bandai Namco is considering a standalone app for Ace Combat Zero on Steam, but that change would only fix launch behavior. The Belkan War port still has no standalone sale planned and stays tied to the Ace Combat 8 pre-order bonus.","newsletterBlurb":"Ace Combat 8 is out, and the pre-order bonus attached to it works differently depending on where you bought it. On PS5 and Xbox, Ace Combat Zero runs on its own; on Steam it requires the main game. Bandai Namco apologized for the thin notice, then said a day later that a standalone Steam version is now under consideration.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261002-471509/\",\"title\":\"Ace Combat 8 Breaks 37,000 Concurrent Steam Players at Launch, About 3 Times the Previous Game's Popularity. Thick Clouds, Roaring Blasts, and an Intense Dogfight Feel of \\\"Actually Flying a Fighter Jet\\\"\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/02/173040.html\",\"title\":\"Ace Combat 8 Steam pre-order bonus \\\"Ace Combat Zero\\\" not a standalone app; measures being considered\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/02/173071.html\",\"title\":\"Ace Combat 8 Officially Launches - Steam Japanese Reviews \\\"Very Positive\\\" for a Strong Start; Concurrent Players Reach About 37,000\"},{\"source\":\"Game Spark\",\"url\":\"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/03/173101.html\",\"title\":\"Steam version of Ace Combat 8's pre-order bonus Ace Combat Zero currently treated as DLC for the main game; plans underway to change it to a standalone launch\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":26201,"outputTokens":1428,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791060265,"createdAt":"2026-10-03T20:43:03.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-03T20:43:21.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T20:43:21.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_c2deb348e77ac829729e756a","canonicalTitle":"『エースコンバット8』Steam版の予約特典「エースコンバット・ゼロ」が単体アプリでない件について対応策を検討中","representativeArticleId":"a_7e4b18409ab42405fd7cd6f4","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve\",\"Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-01T16:19:19.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-02T15:16:59.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-03T20:43:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20261002-471509/","title":"『エースコンバット8』初動でSteam同接3万7000人突破、前作の約3倍熱い人気。雲は分厚く爆音轟く、“戦闘機乗ってる感”濃密ドッグファイト"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/10/03/173101.html","title":"単体起動への変更の検討を進める見通し―Steam版『エースコンバット8』予約特典「エースコンバット・ゼロ」が現状本編のDLC扱いである件について続報"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve","Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Bandai Namco Entertainment released ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE on October 2 for PC (Steam), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.","The pre-order bonus ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR launches standalone on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S but is delivered as a DLC executable requiring ACE COMBAT 8 on Steam.","Bandai Namco said on October 1 that licensing restrictions and platform specifications prevent standalone Steam distribution of ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR.","In an October 2 update, Bandai Namco said there is a prospect of considering a standalone app format on Steam, with implementation and timing still undecided.","ACE COMBAT ZERO: THE BELKAN WAR has no plans for standalone sale and is offered only through the ACE COMBAT 8 pre-order and physical early purchase bonus."]}