Bandai Namco has joined forces with ILCA Inc. to establish a new company called Bandai Namco Aces, one that will be headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and include veteran developers that worked on some of the company’s biggest franchises, including Ace Combat. Among them are Takuya Iwasaki and Kazutoki Kono, who have been charged with leading the Bandai Namco Aces team as its President & CEO and Executive Vice President, respectively. Iwasaki’s credits include Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (ILCA Team Executive Producer), while Kono requires little introduction to fans of Bandai Namco’s long-running arcade flight franchise, having worked on numerous Ace Combat titles that stretch all the way back to 1997’s Ace Combat 2 (Game Visual Staff) for the original PlayStation. Bandai Namco Aces Inc. is currently bolstering its staff to assist in the development of new “high-end photorealistic game content,” which presumably includes Ace Combat 8. The seventh installment has sold over 3 million units since its release in January 2019 and recently received new DLC in the form of a tie-in with Paramount’s blockbuster Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and ILCA Inc. are proud to announce the establishment of a new company named Bandai Namco Aces Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. has cultivated its game production expertise through iconic series such as TEKKEN and ACE COMBAT, while ILCA, Inc. has the technical capabilities to produce high quality content using state-of-the-art technology.
Embracing the name “Aces” as representing those who are best or leading in any field, the newly created studio will leverage the know-how of both companies and continue to deliver deep and lasting, high-quality content to fans around the world, including for the ACE COMBAT series.
Source: Bandai Namco