Bandai Namco celebrates 30 years of Ace Combat by teasing a new game

Yesterday, the trendsetting Jet Set Radio actually turned 25 years old, and today it's time for another birthday worth celebrating. It was for PlayStation on June 30, 1995 that Ace Combat saw the light of day.

Bandai Namco celebrates this with a tribute video that you can check out below, and the series' brand director Kazutoki Kono had some well-chosen words to offer, thanking the fans and saying, among other things:

"Over the past thirty years, times have changed. Values have shifted, technologies have evolved. Our company and our team have continually transformed to navigate these tides. In a word, we've embraced change.

"There were times we may not have fully met your expectations. But I also believe there were moments when we exceeded them-when we soared higher than anyone imagined."

Even more interesting, however, is a statement from Namco founder Masaya Nakamura (who started the company in 1955), which clearly suggests that the time has come for a new installment in the series:

"After three incredible decades of adapting to change, we've built an enduring bond of trust with all of you. That connection is the very force that has sustained the Ace Combat series and propelled it into the future. I can now feel this truth in every fiber of my being. And I'm proud—proud that our ongoing commitment to delivering value and earning your trust has led us to this 30th anniversary.

"And now, we're ready. Everything is in place. It's time to take flight once again-toward even greater heights."

Already four years ago, it was casually revealed that work on a new Ace Combat had begun. Since then we haven't heard anything more about it, but apparently it's getting time to show what's going on - maybe this week?

The last game in the series was Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, which was released in 2019 and has sold over six million copies to date.