Gamescom is full of games that I want to play, but ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE was different for me from the moment I walked into the meeting. Aviation has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. My father served in the Air Force for close to 30 years and today continues working in the defense industry, including in the aviation field. I grew up in a house where aircraft were never just machines you saw in movies. During school holidays, my father would take us to the Air Force Museum, and during the year there were occasions when he took us to his base and we could see where he worked. Sitting down at Gamescom 2026 and getting my hands on the next mainline Ace Combat therefore felt strangely personal. I was not simply approaching it as another journalist moving from one appointment to another. For a few minutes, I felt like the kid who used to stare at military aircraft and try to understand what made each one different.
