Controversy erupts around Ace Combat 8 on PC as bundled Belkan War re-release remains problematically attached to the new game, whereas it's standalone on console
Early access to Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is now available to owners of the game's Deluxe Edition, but the launch has been soured due to publisher Bandai Namco's handling of one particular pre-order bonus. Read more
Controversy has erupted around Ace Combat 8 on PC due to a bundled Belkan War re-release, which remains problematically attached to the new game. The pre-order bonus, a copy of Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, was not intended to be included with the PC edition. However, on Steam, the game is now treated as DLC for Ace Combat 8 rather than a standalone product.
This change has led to several issues, such as the need to download a large modern game to access a smaller older game and the inability to run The Belkan War separately on weaker hardware, like the Steam Deck. The description of the pre-order bonus was altered, making the situation confusing for players who pre-ordered the game on Steam.
The change has received significant attention on the Ace Combat subreddit and is among the hottest topics on the platform, overshadowing discussions about the game itself.
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