Bandai Namco will fly in the sky again, but we have to wait until Ace Combat 8 (if the game will be called as such).

During the Ace Combat 25th anniversary retrospective program, we got the announcement that Bandai Namco and ILCA are working together on the next instalment of the series. ILCA is currently developing The Idolmaster: Starlit Season, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, and Pokémon Shining Pearl. It also worked on the cinematics and the environment of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (so they are familiar with the series). They were the co-developer for the graphics of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age.

“We’ve started work on a new project in the Ace Combat series. Project Aces staff will, of course, continue to be involved in the development of this new project, but as we celebrate 25 years and three million copies sold, we’ve come to understand we have many fans of all tastes. Our small team can’t handle it all alone, so we’re looking to expand the Ace Combat team in a big way.

That’s why we want to form a business alliance with ILCA, which will become more deeply involved in the Ace Combat series than ever before and create a new Ace Combat. We hope this opportunity will allow us to add even more staff to the Project Aces team. More than anything, I hope fans are happy to know that the next game is underway.

With this new staff, we’re creating a new Ace Combat—a new era. I don’t know where we’ll be in the next 25 years, but the Ace Combat series will continue, and to everyone who supports us and creates with me—I will continue to give it my all,” Ace Combat series producer Kazutoki Kono said.

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown launched in early 2019 on PlayStation 4 (with PlayStation VR support!), Xbox One, and PC. The next game didn’t get any details announced, but we suspect it to be in development for PlayStation 5 (with PlayStation VR 2 support?), Xbox Series, and PC.

Source: Gematsu