A new playable aircraft for 'Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve' was revealed globally for the first time at the Bilibili First Look event held in Shanghai on September 3.
The aircraft unveiled that day is named the 'FA-36 Game'. According to official lore, it is a high-maneuverability, stealth carrier-based aircraft equipped with versatile weaponry, featuring a tailless design and wingtips that fold depending on flight speed. Equipped with twin engines for operational stability, its engines feature 3D thrust vectoring nozzles that enable high-maneuverability combat. The nickname "Game" derives from "gamecock" (fighting cock).
At the event where the aircraft was first revealed, Brand Director Kazutoki Kono stated, "Fans who enjoyed past titles will likely find the nickname 'Game' familiar." This is because a fictional aircraft named the 'XFA-36A' appeared in 'ACE COMBAT 3 electrosphere,' released in 1999. That aircraft was also nicknamed Game and shared the same features, such as a tailless design and 3D thrust vectoring nozzles.
Although it is an original, fictional aircraft within the game rather than a real fighter jet, the design of both the XFA-36A and FA-36 bears traces of the 'X-36', an experimental aircraft jointly developed in the past by McDonnell Douglas Phantom Works and NASA. Built at 28% the scale of a full-size fighter jet, it was an experimental craft designed to study the maneuverability of futuristic tailless fighters.
This is quite an interesting aspect when considering the chronological connection between Ace Combat 8 and Ace Combat 3. The story of Ace Combat 8 is set in the year 2029 within the in-game universe of "Strangereal," depicting events taking place 10 years after those of its predecessor, Ace Combat 7. Furthermore, the developers themselves have previously explained that the game was crafted with the flow of the world leading into the 2040s of "ACE COMBAT 3" in mind.
Therefore, the relationship between the newly introduced FA-36 and the XFA-36A that will appear 11 years later is a detail worth keeping an eye on. However, whether the FA-36 is a direct predecessor to the XFA-36A or serves in lore as the "experimental aircraft" itself was not clearly explained in this announcement. Additionally, given the nature of the series where aircraft not featured in the main story are frequently added as playable planes, it remains uncertain whether players will encounter it in the campaign.
'Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve' tells the story of the protagonist, who inherits the name of a legendary ace pilot, and the FCU aircraft carrier 'Endurance,' which roams the sea after losing its country to an invasion by the hostile nation of Sotoa. The game is scheduled to launch on October 2 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
