Ace Combat Zero is being made available as a standalone application on Steam, Bandai Namco announced. This change addresses player complaints that the game, a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8, was bundled within the latter's launcher, requiring a 136GB download for the 2006 title.
Players who pre-ordered Ace Combat 8 will still be the only ones able to access Ace Combat Zero. The standalone version will not be available for individual purchase. However, owning players will soon be able to download and launch Zero independently, potentially freeing up significant storage space.
The update also means Ace Combat Zero will support Steam Cloud saves. The news has been met with positive reception from fans, though some have requested the addition of achievements, a feature present in the original console release.
Bandai Namco stated that the standalone version is currently undergoing final quality assurance and compatibility testing. A specific release date for the update has not yet been announced.
Ace Combat Zero, originally released for the PlayStation 2, is a fan-favorite entry in the series. Its inclusion as a pre-order bonus for Ace Combat 8 was intended as an incentive, but the mandatory bundled installation drew significant criticism upon the latter's launch.