Bandai Namco Unveils Ace Combat 8 Prequel Series, First Look on IGN

Bandai Namco has announced a live-action prequel miniseries for Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve, the next installment in its iconic flight combat franchise, set to launch on PC and consoles next month. IGN exclusively reveals that the miniseries, titled Hour Zero, will premiere later this month and stars Josh Holloway from Lost, Brandon Routh from Superman Returns, and Tamlyn Tomita from Cobra Kai.

The trailer, available above, introduces Holloway, Routh, and Tomita as "three strangers who survive the opening days of the Republic of Sotoa's invasion of the Federation of Central Usea," according to the official synopsis. Holloway plays "a pilot with nowhere to land," Routh is a "doctor who saved his enemy," and Tomita is a "news anchor silenced for telling the truth." Bandai Namco states that their stories "set the stage for the narrative players will experience in the deep, engaging Campaign Mode in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve."

In an interview ahead of the show's launch, Holloway discussed stepping into the cockpit and joining the Ace Combat universe. He shared that acting in the series rekindled his passion for gaming. "When I was younger, I was a gamer," Holloway said. "Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede, Galaga. I went away from gaming for many, many years, and this has gotten me addicted. It's so real and so visceral. Layering a story onto this game really raises the stakes. After playing the game, I could feel myself in that cockpit because I got to do it in the studio. So now I have that sense memory while I'm playing the game, which is a blast."

Holloway also revealed that participating in Hour Zero's action scenes fulfilled a lifelong dream, tracing back to before Top Gun hit theaters. "God, my first fantasy about being a fighter pilot was [the 1970s World War II fighter pilot TV series] Baa Baa Black Sheep. Remember that? That just tore my imagination up. When I was in high school, I looked into how I could become a fighter pilot. [But] you have to be a fricking math genius for them to let you in the hundred million dollar plane. That dashed my dreams of actually being a fighter pilot. [But I thought,] Aha, I can still be an actor. For me, being a fighter pilot is right up there with being a cowboy."

Although Holloway appeared in the 2007 game Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, he's not eager to do more performance capture for video games. Instead, he's interested in adapting games for the big screen. "I'm less interested in being a part of the video game world. [Instead,] I'd like to turn one of those into a movie. I feel like there's room in the Ace Combat world to possibly make a feature. Same thing with cowboy[s]. I do want to do that. I've looked at Red Dead Redemption. It's not just a game anymore. They're like real simulators with real stories."

Having played through Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve before its public release, Holloway offered a key tip for players diving in on October 2: "Be aggressive. If I start to chill out, I got somebody locked on my tail already. So you've got to be like, 'Oh my God, I'm going for it,' and just hammer down."

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve will be available in early access for Deluxe Edition holders on September 29 and launches for all players on October 2. The game is available now for preorder on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.