Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve Achieves Remarkable Commercial Success
- Ace Combat 8 launched on October 2, 2023, following early access.
- The game peaked at 52,694 concurrent players on Steam.
- Current user ratings on Steam are “Very Positive” with over 5,755 reviews.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has successfully made its mark among the commercially successful releases of September and October 2023. Officially launched on October 2, the game experienced three days of early access and has rapidly gained popularity on Steam.
According to SteamDB, the game reached a peak of 52,694 concurrent players on Saturday, October 3, just one day after its official release. Although player data from PlayStation and Xbox is unavailable, it is reasonable to assume those numbers are comparably strong.
The Ace Combat franchise has traditionally focused on console releases, with most titles previously unavailable on PC. However, the series has seen a resurgence since the release of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown in 2019, which debuted on PC shortly after its console launch and peaked at 13,758 concurrent players on Steam. The significant growth in player numbers for Ace Combat 8 marks a commendable achievement for the franchise.
Player feedback appears overwhelmingly positive, with the game’s current Steam rating categorized as Very Positive based on over 5,755 reviews. This comes despite a brief controversy regarding the pre-order bonus, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. Players expressed disappointment that it is not a standalone app as they were led to believe and must be launched through Ace Combat 8. Bandai Namco has issued an apology for the misleading information and is looking into possible solutions.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
