Ace Combat 8 Will Have Realistic Hair Dye Mechanics

2 hours ago 2

Published Jun 30, 2026, 9:09 PM EDT

Jaime Tugayev is the News Editor at DualShockers, where he covers gaming news, reviews, features, guides, and major industry updates. He has been writing professionally since 2013 and covering games since 2015, with a focus on FPS games, tactical shooters, strategy titles, JRPGs, and PC and console gaming.

His work often covers games and franchises such as Escape From Tarkov, Gray Zone Warfare, Battlefield, ARC Raiders, Arma, STALKER 2, and Six Days in Fallujah. Before joining DualShockers, Jaime contributed to IndieGameCulture and Aviator Insider. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from the University of Coimbra.

Bandai Namco is in the business of making great games, but it's also particularly fond of teasing poor Ace Combat fans as we count the hours until the release of Ace Combat 8, scheduled for October 2 this year.

While I can't make time go any faster, the fine people over at Korean portal Ruliweb have decided to take mercy on us and shared everything that went on during a panel with Ace Combat 8 brand director Kazusato Kono and producer Manabu Shimomoto. The interview transcript is in Korean, but I highly recommend checking the page out for some cool pictures of the event and Ace Combat 8 swag.

The next instalment in the Ace Combat series is touted as the most detailed yet, but what's surprising is how far they are willing to go.

Wingman Commands, Hair Dye, and the Final Push

Kazusato Kono and Manabu Shimomoto touched on multiple features of the game, and details of its development, which Kono says is "99.9% complete." According to the director, the team is busy adding the final touches to the game, and most of these have to do with fine-tuning the ambience.

The process, according to Kono, involves finding the precise timings for the soundtrack and radio transmissions to make sure the experience comes through exactly as envisioned. On that note, the developers confirmed that Ace Combat 8 will have a music player, so you can burn a hole in the disc with your favorite track.

The Project Aces bosses were fairly pleased with the performance of Ace Combat 7, which now stands as the best-selling entry in the series with 7.5 million copies sold. This spike in popularity means more new players coming in contact with Ace Combat for the first time, so Ace Combat 8 needs to be approachable.

Kono explains that the game will have four difficulty settings to choose from initially, plus an Ace mode that can be unlocked through the campaign. The novice and standard difficulty is expected to be easier than Ace Combat 7 to help new players get acquainted with the mechanics, but veterans can have their challenge if they so wish.

All those details about gameplay mechanics are great, but what caught my eye was how the game will treat the most challenging thing it depicts: keeping a pink hair dye looking good.

This spike in popularity means more new players coming in contact with Ace Combat for the first time, so Ace Combat 8 needs to be approachable.

Yuktobanian aerobatics pilot Tasha Severskaya, who ends up stranded aboard the FCU Endurance carrier, sports an iconic pink hair dye that captured the hearts and minds of fans during Ace Combat 8 promotional run. What the earlier trailers didn't make clear, however, is that Tasha's hair is as alive as the world the story takes place in.

As the story progresses, you will notice the pink fading out to blonde; a nice reminder that despite the FCU Endurance being a home, it is still a stranded aircraft carrier without some home comforts like an endless supply of pink hair dye.

I had my hair dyed just about constantly from ages 15 to 30, and nothing was more of a hassle to maintain than pink dye. That stuff gets in your pillows, shirt collars, bathroom tiles, and has the audacity of being almost gone after a couple of washes. Ace Combat 8 brings PTSD from having to touch it up way more often than anyone would like, and I love it for that.

On top of the deep characterization of your squad members that's traditional with Ace Combat games, the next game is bringing back wingman commands. This won't be a franchise first, but the interview and earlier previews hint at engagements being a fully cooperative endeavor, so better get used to the commands once you get the chance.

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve comes out on October 2, 2026, and will be available for PC, PlayStation 5, and XBOX Series X|S. There is no official information about a Nintendo Switch 2 port at the time of writing, though the Ace Combat 7 port to the original Nintendo Switch has some players hopeful.