Ace Combat Infinity Gets Launch Details, Takes Off In May

Get your aviator glasses and Top Gun soundtrack ready, because Bandai Namco is ready to head to the runway with “massive aerial combat game” Ace Combat Infinity on May 27, meaning pilots on the PlayStation 3 only have to wait one more month before taking to the not-so-friendly skies in this free-to-play flight combat game.

Bandai Namco revealed all sorts of information regarding upcoming games in a press blowout yesterday afternoon, and amidst all of that new game buzz and DLC jibba-jabba was an official launch date for Ace Combat Infinity. Now the publisher is ready to dish even more details on the game, including its structure, content, modes, etc.

Ace Combat Infinity offered up a best testing phase a couple of months ago, which I was more than happy to download and take for a test run. Unfortunately, life got pretty busy and, by the time I was ready to boot up the game and head for the clear blue yonder, the beta phase had already wrapped up.

But I don’t have many more weeks to wait before I can finally get my hands on the game, as it’s hitting the PS3 as a free-to-play game on May 27.

“Ace Combat Infinity combines the franchises signature look and intense aerial combat with a brand new story campaign, co-op and competitive multiplayer modes, and seeks to give fanes infinite gameplay possibilities by continuing to update the game after its initial launch, including plans of a Player vs. Player update,” reads the official statement. “Ace Combat Infinity marks the first time the storied franchise has entered the free-to-play gaming arena. Players will dive into the game’s wealth of free-to-play content and fight to rule the skies with powerful combat aircraft, advanced weaponry and cunning piloting skills.”

This may, of course, cause some to worry about whether or not Infinity will more or less evolve into a “pay-to-win” structure. We don’t know what sort of market will be available for the game, but “free-to-play” typically means that there’s some sort of a system for earning funds and, given the fact that this is a console game, I seriously doubt we’re talking about in-game advertisements here. If additional modes, vanity items/skins and the like are up for grabs at a premium, then there shouldn’t be a reason for concern. But if we’re talking about paying for better planes and weaponry, then fans will likely have a real problem with forking over cash just to up their kill/death ratio.

But there’s no need to panic or even speculate, really, at this time. We’ll just have to wait and see what Bandai Namco has up their sleeves or, more importantly, what they expect the player to pay for once the game finally launches this May, exclusively for the PlayStation 3.