Manchester City have learnt details of their first game of the 2026/27 season, as a clash against Premier League champions Arsenal await in August

Manchester City will face Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, August 16.

The game, which has been held at Wembley Stadium in recent years, will be played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for the first time since 2006.

There will be more to follow. We’ll bring you the very latest updates on this breaking news story.

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The disruption, first reported on Monday (June 1) remains unresolved today (Thursday, June 4), leaving customers facing continued difficulties accessing mobile signal and 5G data.

According to the signal checker website, customers on a number of major networks, including Three, Vodafone, Smarty, Lebara, Voxi, ID Mobile, Talkmobile and Asda, are still experiencing 5G connectivity issues across parts of the town.

Three connectivity in Darlington, parts of white show no connection, light red are where 5G connectivity is good outdoors only, dark red where it is good outdoors and indoors (Image: THREE)

Vodafone has apologised to affected customers and said network upgrade works are behind the problems.

Meanwhile, O2 has confirmed “vital” upgrade works are taking place in the Darlington area, warning customers they may experience intermittent disruption while the improvements are carried out.

Vodafone connectivity in Darlington, parts in grey show no connectivity, red is limited, orange is good outdoors only and green is good (Image: VODAFONE)

A spokesperson for Vodafone said: “We’re sorry to customers who are affected by issues with their services in Darlington.

“One of our infrastructure partner’s local sites is currently impacted and is undergoing network upgrade works.

“Our networks team and infrastructure partner is aware of the issue and are working hard to restore services.”

O2 connectivity in Darlington, parts of orange show areas where 5G connectivity is not good indoors, blue is where connectivity is good both indoors and outdoors. (Image: O2)

An O2 spokesperson previously said: “We’re carrying out upgrade works in the Darlington area to improve network performance and ensure customers continue to receive the best possible service.

“While this vital work takes place, there may be some intermittent disruption and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Other masts in the area are providing normal service levels.”

“In the meantime, we’d encourage customers to enable Wi-Fi calling on their device, allowing them to make and receive calls and texts over any broadband network.”

Customers affected by the outage are being advised to enable Wi-Fi calling where possible to continue making and receiving calls and texts while work on the network continues.

No timescale has been given for when service will come back on, despite network providers being asked by the Echo.

While payouts aren’t automatic, Ofcom dictates you may still be entitled to a pro-rata refund or account credit if the outage is long and severe. You should reach out to your provider to request this.

Protests have broken out in Albania over Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s $1.4bn purchase of the abandoned island of Sazan, a communist-era military base.

In addition to the strip, the couple’s deal also includes a $4.7bn agreement on part of a protected coastal landscape in Zvërnec.

Albania’s government has championed the Adriatic coast development as a transformative venture for the nation, aiming to boost its high-end tourism sector and support its bid for European Union membership.

But the project on the lush island and stretch of seafront on Albania’s southern coast – referred to by Trump as a “fixer-upper” – has sparked criticism from environmental groups and detractors of the long-serving Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama.

President Trump’s daughter says she and her husband discovered the area while on a hike.

“We were on a friend’s boat, and we stopped for a swim. Effectively, that’s how we found it,” she said. “We swam to the island. We went on a hike, barefoot all the way up to the top, and we were just captivated.”

After the widespread backlash Prime Minister Rama insisted in an interview with CNN on Thursday: “There is not a project yet.”

“There is no such thing as a Trump family island, he added. “There is no such thing as the family of the American president taking over protected areas where flamingos will be killed by them.”

Nevertheless, Sazan has already been dubbed “Trump island” by angry locals who have made their displeasure at the reported deal clear. Below we take a closer look at the island, with its 3,600 nuclear bunkers, unexploded weapons, bomb shelters and miles of tunnels.

Strategic military location used by the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires

Albania, situated in southeastern Europe’s Balkan peninsula, is an emerging tourist hotspot that has seen a 15 per cent rise in tourism over the last year as visitors flock to enjoy stunning landscapes at a fraction of the cost of similar destinations across Europe.

Located in the Adriatic Sea, Sazan is Albania’s largest island and is a designated military exclusion zone located in a strategically important location between the Strait of Otranto and the mouth of the Bay of Vlorë, marking the border between the Adriatic and Ionian seas that then flows into the Mediterranean.

It is just 59 miles east of the Salento coast in the region of Apulia in Italy and can sometimes be viewed from the Italian coast on a clear day.

The island has a long a storied history, being part of the Roman Empire before coming under Byzantine rule. It was captured by the Kingdom of Albania in 1279 and held under the protection of the Republic of Venice.

Prior to coming under Ottoman control in the 15th century, it served an important maritime and religious function, hosting a Marian Shrine to the Virgin Mary after an apparent apparition of the saint on the Island. It was also briefly under British protection following the Napoleonic wars before being ceded to Greece.

Sazan was used as a base for German and Italian submarines during the Second World War . Albania relied heavily on the Soviet Union during the Cold War and after the split from Communism, the area has been used as been largely unused but has occasionally been used by the British Royal Navy for training exercises and a shelter for boats.

Bunkers, bomb shelters and miles of secret tunnels

Sazan Island is home to at least 3,600 Soviet-style nuclear bunkers built during the Cold War.

The mushroom-shaped shelters are situated sporadically across the Island and Kushner has said they plan to incorporate the bunkers into their plans for the tourist resort and that some of the shelters will be preserved.

Because of its military background, experts have warned about the presence of mine-like weapons and other unexploded ordnances dotted across the landscape that will need to be cleared in order for the destination to become safe for visitors.

The 1,400 acre Mediterranean island is also home to at least ten miles of underground tunnels from the Communist era. Several bomb shelters and buildings designed to store military supplies and ammunition are also arranged around the area.

Maritime National Park and Wildlife reserve

The coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area includes a wildlife reserve and the surrounding crystal-clear waters make up the Karaburun-Sazan maritime national park.

The development is to be built within a nature reserve and one of Albania’s most valuable biodiversity areas, a key stopover for migratory birds along the Adriatic coast.

The couple’s real-estate plans for the mega-resort have subsequently drawn major complaints and protests from environmental groups who are worried about the impact the development will have on the ecology of the landscape.

Albania has 450 kilometers (280 miles) of coast that remained largely underdeveloped during decades of communist rule.

Protesters have carried cardboard cut-outs of pink flamingos, one of the protected migratory bird species, at rallies in the capital Tirana.

Since late May, excavators and other heavy machinery have entered the area in order to open access routes, dig into the sand and have begun clearing land among pine trees and installing fencing.

Environmental groups from Albania and elsewhere in Europe condemned the work, with one prominent local group charging that long-protected habitats are being “irreversibly destroyed.”

A multi-billion dollar bonanza?

Albania’s state anti-corruption agency has confirmed it opened an investigation related to the project but has not disclosed details.

The government says the land earmarked for the project is privately owned but competing claims have emerged questioning the privatisation, a common dispute on similar deals.

Prime Minister Rama remains committed and says the development would align with Albania’s ambition to become a major global tourism destination.

“Albania should not be a country that fears an extraordinary project like this one, where exceptional partners have come together to invest 4 billion euros ($4.6 billion),” Rama said. “There is no chance for this investment to stop as long as I am here.”

However, in the interview with CNN on Thursday, Rama said: “The investigation is about that. It’s not about the investment. It’s not about the project. It’s not about Kushner. It’s not about Trump.

“It’s not about anything that is being brought in this melting pot to create a sensational fake news that Albania is a place where we are killing flamingos.”

The woman was last seen wearing a grey tracksuit top and bottoms

Police are searching for a missing 33-year-old who is now believed to be in Cambridgeshire. Police said that Harley, 33, was reported missing from the Ingoldmells area in Lincolnshire but investigators now believe she may be in the Peterborough area.

Harley was last seen wearing a grey tracksuit top and bottoms. Lincolnshire Police has asked the public to report any useful information regarding Harley’s whereabouts. The force said it is “keen to locate her as soon as” it can.

Anyone who believes they have information that could help is urged to call 101 quoting the incident number 130 of June 2, 2026.

Marcus Rashford hoped to make his temporary move to Barcelona permanent this summer but it’s looking more unlikely than ever.

And so the Marcus Rashford saga continues.

Manchester United thought they had struck a deal with Barcelona last summer that would signal the end of Rashford’s Old Trafford career. A £26million option to buy was included in the loan deal that took Rashford to the Nou Camp, and with 14 goals and 14 assists for the La Liga giants last season he looked set to secure his dream move to Spain.

And then they went and splashed £69m on Anthony Gordon and threw the whole thing back up in the air.

Click here to find out the latest Manchester United news in our daily newsletter

Barca have until 15 June to make Rashford’s move permanent, but they’re doing a fine job of keeping their excitement under wraps if they are keen on doing so.

United have always insisted they would move on should Barcelona refuse to pay the agreed fee, with no room for negotiations or talk of another loan deal set to be entertained. The problem United have is: if not Barca then where?

A decent showing at this summer’s World Cup will improve United’s chances of moving him on, but shifting a player who earns £325,000-per-week is never an easy task.

If United can’t offload Rashford this summer, would you be open to giving him another chance at Old Trafford? Or do you think too many bridges have been burnt to see him back in a United shirt?

Have your say in the poll below:

Italian Antonelli, 19, has won four races in a row, while Russell’s only grand prix victory this year was in the season-opening race in Australia.

Russell, 28, did win the sprint events in China and Canada.

He has bemoaned a series of events going against him – including technical issues in qualifying in China, a safety-car intervention in Japan that handed the lead to Antonelli and the Canada problems – but says he has no reason to feel he cannot bounce back.

“I don’t feel like I need to get every single result possible, because the season’s long enough that over the course of the season, it will swing if you’re the guy who’s on top.

“So I just need to continue being the guy who’s coming out on top, even if he’s the one at the moment who’s getting the results.”

Russell said that his retirement in Canada “hurts” but added: “That’s just the way racing goes.”

And he pointed to his own junior career as a reason to stay positive.

“In Formula 2 (in 2018), I had, I think, five failures over the course of a year,” he said.

“I came to Monaco, never been to Monaco before, and I broke down on the out lap in practice. And then went into qualifying, 15-minute session, four laps, and didn’t qualify anywhere decent.

“I broke down on other occasions. The engine stalled, but then still went on over the course of a year to win the championship.

“So I take inspiration from those moments. And I think for everyone every year, you have a run of races where, I don’t know why or how, everything just goes your way.

“And that’s just how it goes sometimes when things turn. It’s just a mentality I’ve got. I’m in a very good head space. The pressure feels off now. And there’s just a huge amount of time to go.”

Flight LH450 from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, which was due to take off at 13.50pm CEST (12.50pm BST) today, has been cancelled following the incident.

The Dreamliner, registration D-ABPQ, sustained significant damage after nosediving onto the runway while it was at the gate, Frankfurter Rundschau reports.

​Reform’s Cllr Thomas Murray, the town mayor of Scarborough, has said he is not fundamentally opposed to fracking, just weeks after plans for a controversial gas drilling rig near the town were refused by members of North Yorkshire Council.

​Local campaign group Frack Free Coastal Communities described the mayor’s comments as “absurd”.

​The Reform-led Scarborough Town Council voted last year unanimously to oppose Europa Oil & Gas’ plan for a 38m gas rig in the village of Burniston and expressed its “full and unwavering support for local residents in their opposition to the proposed fracking-style hydrocarbon development”.

​Europa’s plan proposed the use of a proppant squeeze method that has been likened to “small-scale fracking” and is allowed under current legislation. The company said it will appeal the refusal.

​Reform UK has said it would lift a ban on fracking which was introduced due to concerns about earthquakes and environmental impacts.

​“As a town council we voiced our opposition to [Europa’s proposal] in Burniston, on the basis that it didn’t have the community behind it and it was causing undue anxiety and stress for homeowners,” Cllr Murray said.

Asked how the town council’s stance squared with national Reform UK policy, Cllr Murray said: “If you look at Reform’s policy, it is with local consent and on that basis, that proposal in Burniston didn’t have local consent.”

​He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It was really close to the town. I would say, if it was out further away from society, where it is not going to affect the local community, then frack ahead.”

​More than 1,600 objections were submitted against the plan by residents, local MP Alison Hume, parish councils including Burniston, Cloughton, Newby & Scalby and Scarborough town councils, and Friends of the Earth, among others.

​Professor Chris Garforth, Chair of Frack Free Coastal Communities’ steering committee, said the group appreciated the stance that Scarborough Town Council took in opposing the planning application by Europa Oil & Gas “despite the party’s national policy stance in favour of fracking”.

​He said: “They joined the local coastal parish and town councils to present a unified opposition that North Yorkshire’s strategic planning committee could not ignore.”

Prof Garforth described the town mayor’s comments as “a valiant attempt to square that stance with the national party line”.

​He said: “However, the idea that in this country there are oil and gas reserves in places which are ‘out further away from society, where [fracking] is not going to affect the local community’ is absurd.

​“All the areas where exploration licences are still in play and where companies are eyeing up the prospects if a pro-fracking government were ever to come to power are close to communities whose lives would be turned upside down if they get the go-ahead.”

Anti Fracking Protest March In Burniston. Courtesy Numminen/LDRS

​The proposed gas rig near Burniston and the North York Moors National Park had been recommended for approval by North Yorkshire Council, which said there were “no material planning considerations that warrant its refusal”, adding “there would be no unacceptable adverse environmental impacts resulting from the proposed development”.

​Europa said its scheme would be beneficial to the local economy and maintains that there is no ‘loophole’ in the moratorium on fracking.

​The campaign group FFCC said it remained focussed on ensuring that “drilling and fracking for gas at Burniston does not happen. That will include contesting the appeal against planning refusal that Europa have said they are considering.”

Wellbore Illustration. Europa Oil And Gas

​Prof Garforth added that the campaign group was “firmly against fracking in all its forms, anywhere”.

​“Fracking is being pushed by oil and gas companies to squeeze more and more climate-wrecking fossil fuels from the rocks beneath the UK. The science is clear – this will simply accelerate our descent to environmental, economic and societal disaster. We should be investing in a more rapid transition to renewable energy.”

​

​

The world’s favourite air combat simulator returns for another sortie, with a very modern take on aerial warfare and the fog (and clouds) of war.

With Red Dead Redemption 2 recently becoming the third best-selling video game of all-time it’s a constant frustration that video game sales figures are given out so inconsistently, because finding out that 2019’s Ace Combat 7 has sold a nominatively appropriate 7.5 million copies is something of a revelation. In retrospect, we’re not sure what we expected but it proves that, despite our fears, Ace Combat, and combat flight sims in general, are not quite the niche concern we assumed them to be.

Ace Combat 8: Wings Of Theve was announced in 2021 and got its first reveal at The Game Awards in 2025. We got to play several hours of the new game last month and spoke to brand director Kazutoki Kono and Ace Combat 8 producer Manabu Shimomoto. We’d met them before, prior to the launch of Ace Combat 7, and it’s interesting that despite the series’ continued success it still has no peers or rivals.

In the genre, the only thing that’s really happened in that time is that VR has fallen out of fashion – which is a real shame, as Ace Combat 7 had a fantastic VR mode – and Microsoft Flight Simulator has raised the profile of flight sims in general. Ace Combat has very little in common with that though, as while it’s a hardcore simulator, with little in the way of traditional gameplay, Ace Combat 8 is primarily an action game.

Ace Combat celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, although its lineage stretches back a few years before that, to the Air Combat series of arcade games. The modern games have three main staples: a highly complex backstory, set in an alternative world with similar but slightly more sci-fi technology; excellent graphics and a reasonable degree of realism; and amazing soundtracks.

All three elements were present and correct in Ace Combat 8, which once again takes place in the world of Strangereal. Although it is an ongoing story you don’t need to know anything beforehand, as the set-up is fairly straightforward: your homeland has been invaded and you’re part of one of the only fighting forces left, aboard a wandering aircraft carrier.

The twist is that, in the first mission you take on the callsign of Rex, a legendary fighter pilot who turns out to be a complete fabrication, used to improve morale, with the previous incumbent being a total washout. Nevertheless, you accept the role and become the *Wings of Theve* (Theve being your capital city), ready to take on the war’s most dangerous missions.

Bandai Namco is careful not to call Ace Combat a simulation, although we’re not sure whether that’s because they’re being modest about its level of realism or because they don’t want to put people off. Depending on the difficulty level you choose, you have far more in the way of ammo than you would in reality, and the game makes sharp turns easier, but otherwise it’s relatively realistic, including the danger of stalling. You can survive some mid-air collisions but if you hit a mountain or ditch into the sea, that’s it.

Naturally, things start off fairly simple and the controls are really no more complex than any other first or third person shooter (you have the option of either view). Standard air-to-air missiles require a lock-on but are not guaranteed to hit unless you catch the enemy dead to rights. Equally, while you do have a limited amount of chaff and flares it’s relatively easy to dodge incoming missiles if you keep an eye on the radar and turn sharply as they close.

Although the combat is enormously enjoyable, and the graphics almost photorealistic at times (with none of the inconsistency or reliance on streaming seen in Microsoft Flight Simulator), the real magic in Ace Combat is making the missions varied enough that you never get tired of it.

We played more missions than we’re allowed to talk about, but things start off as you’d imagine, with some simple dogfights, but this quickly evolves into land battles as well, where you use ground-to-air missiles and bombs to take out targets and, in one memorable early mission, a fleet of ships. This is best achieved with specialised anti-ship missiles, which you have a much more limited supply of, as you swoop around an island, trying to take them out before they escape, but while still fending off defending fighters.

The visuals throughout all this are stunning and while we found the first person view (with cockpit turned off) the most practical, the game records everything as you go and you can watch the whole mission as a replay when you’re done, complete with Top Gun style cinematic camera angles and some amazing rain and cloud effects.

The latter is apparently the result of a lot of hard work, with a specially designed graphics engine called Cloudy that has been added to Unreal Engine. The benefit of this is highlighted in one mission where you’re chasing implausibly gigantic flying wings but where your radar doesn’t work at long range. Instead, you have to follow contrails in the sky and pass through angry thunderclouds that threaten to destroy your electronics.

That mission is relatively easy, especially if you use the wingman controls to make sure everyone zeroes in on the same giant plane once you find it – and protects you from fighters while you’re looking for the others. There’s also a range of special weapons you can choose before you start, the most tempting being a limited use weapon that lets you lock on and fire up to four missiles at once, like you’re playing After Burner.

You can also pick which plane you pilot before you start, which has a big effect on how a mission plays out. Despite the fantasy world of Strangereal, all of the planes are real world fighters, although they all have to be unlocked from what is essentially a skill tree, using earned in-game currency. But as long as you’ve got that you can make sensible choices, like using a F-14D for air combat missions and an A-10C Thunderbolt II against land targets.

In the most extreme example of the game’s near future sci-fi element this includes a gigantic ‘land battleship’ which is treated entirely seriously and can only be taken out by following a complex plan, involving destroying its caterpillar tracks by exposing side panels for a brief window of opportunity, provided by bomb trucks on the ground and by collapsing skyscrapers into its path.

Everything about what we played of the game was impressive, with one exception. The developers made a point of saying that the storytelling and dialogue is less anime influenced than before, and more grounded, but while that’s true it’s still very clunky and awkward. It wouldn’t matter much but all your wingmates, and other allies and enemies, are constantly talking.

Some of it furthers the story but a lot of it is just meant to be immersive chatter. Even that would be fine, except the game is surprisingly reserved about pointing out mission objectives and how the battlefield situation changes over the course of a mission. Your wingmates don’t do nearly enough to help provide helpful information and even when they do say something useful it can get lost in the background noise.

It was only a minor problem during the preview though and will likely become even less of an issue once you get used to it in the main game. It’s certainly not enough to ruin what seems to be another welcome entry in the most accessible, enjoyable, and commercially successful combat flight sim on the market.

Formats: PC (previewed), PlayStation5 and Xbox Series X/S
Publisher: Bandai Namco
Developer: Bandai Namco Aces
Release Date: 2026

GC: I’m sure you don’t remember but I met you both before, eight years ago at Gamescom.

KK: There was only once that we travelled together to Gamescom, that was Ace Combat 7. That must’ve been when we met.

GC: So much has happened in the world, and in the games industry, since then. I’m curious, how have those many changes influenced you and Ace Combat 8?

MS: First of all, the universe of Ace Combat is set in this Strangereal fictional world. We take great care in making everything seem believable, but everything is based on prediction of the near future. But it’s not set in the real world, it’s very much fictional.

The production started in 2020 and we had predicted the near future at the time but the truth is, coincidentally, the current world seems to have mirrored what was predicted.

KK: With Ace Combat 8, what is depicted is very much a prediction of near future technology or information that is likely to be available very soon. But one of the elements that I have a real-life concern about is social media, because with what is currently happening it is very difficult to tell what information is true or false.

That creates a lot of confusion in that sphere and similar things are mirrored in Ace Combat 8. There is a presence – Fake Wings, that you may be yet to come across – where information regarding that is affected by the people and there are reactions against that as well. So there is that sense of information manipulation, that is depicted here.

GC: I’ve always assumed that the sci-fi elements in the game were purely to add variety and keep things unpredictable, but the future seems to be catching up very quickly, with things I never expected to see in my lifetime. How has that affected how you approach this new game and the series in general?

KK: The sci-fi element being utilised for gameplay hasn’t really changed and won’t change in the future. It is a motif to enhance the gameplay but in the Ace Combat series, because the visuals and aesthetic elements have really advanced and keep advancing.

Even though the gameplay is very enjoyable, if nothing looks realistic, visually, there is going to be a dissonance for the players. So the technologies, visuals, and information all need to align, because we don’t really want to create a completely removed fantasy world that seems unreal.

Things feeling and looking realistic is very important. So if we were to put a priority order, gameplay is most important but second is a believable sense of Strangereal, to create immediacy for the players, is very important as well.

But we don’t anticipate a great land battleship to attack a city anytime soon.

GC: Well, not this year anyway.

Both: [laughs]

KK: But that really shows that gameplay is at the forefront for us.

GC: You were wise to set the series in this alternative reality, as it’s quite disquieting to think about what all these vehicles and weapons are being used for in real-life at the moment. It’s not something a lot of people would want to celebrate and yet flying a jet fighter is undeniably fun. Nevertheless, I’ve always seen the series as having an anti-war theme, is that how you see it?

MS: This goes back to what we were discussing earlier on, about the great acceleration in the speed of advancement in the sci-fi elements and real-life technology. For example, with Ace Combat 7 drones were heavily featured but at the time it wasn’t really in our day-to-day life.

GC: Yes, that seems the perfect example.

MS: But it became real-life quite quickly. So similar things happened with Ace Combat 8 as well. At the time of the production stages it was seen as something that was out of reach and near future, but coincidentally the timing just seemed to converge.

Just as a foundation, the team is creating an entertainment product, so a sense of fun is extremely important for the players. But to really bring that onto the realistic level… to make it a lot more accessible and to make it even more enjoyable, we do create a universe that is very in-depth in detail and we do take that role quite seriously. We do really go into the details in this process of layering the story, so it’s actually great that you are asking these questions, as it shows that there is a thirst for this type of element.

GC: 7.5 million is not a niche franchise and yet there’s very few games like Ace Combat. Do you feel that customers are being underestimated in terms of what effort they’re willing to put into a game, in terms of complicated or unusual controls and concepts?

KK: In 2026 there are a surprising number of flight shooter games within the industry. So this genre seems to be thriving, especially in the independent games sector. So Ace Combat will always be at the top but it’s actually great that it’s a very active genre.

This franchise is based on a 30 year legacy and there is that core element of the players going through many different challenges to become the ace pilot. So there is a hero creation element. The perspective and angle is slightly different to a simple flight shooter; it’s very difficult to replicate for the other publishers.

GC: I wonder if Microsoft Flight Simulator has helped to raise the profile of flight sims in general, even though it’s not a shooter?

MS: Well, Microsoft Flight Simulator is a simulator, so the core focus is different to Ace Combat, because Ace Combat provides a flight shooter experience in really living through this journey of becoming an ace pilot, so there is a strong narrative attached to it – so the outcome is completely different, so therefore it tends to attract different demographics.

GC: Why is the music always so good in Ace Combat? Why do you make that a priority? It’s unfortunate it doesn’t seem to get much acknowledgement. I nominated it for The Game Awards, but I don’t think Ace Combat 7 even got through to the final stage that year.

Both: [laughs]

KK: The composers that we work with are greatly skilled in creating these melodious grand scale scores. And the songs too, fit perfectly in time with the ace pilot experience. When it’s flying it really fits with the dynamism of what the player is experiencing. So there is that aspect.

But separately, I agree, the soundtracks of the Ace Combat series are extremely popular worldwide but it hasn’t really received that official recognition within The Game Awards. The sound creators have really worked hard for Ace Combat 8 and they are aiming to get that recognition.

GC: Just to end on something that we discussed at Gamescom, but I’m a big fan of simulations of fictional vehicles, such as combat space simulators and mech games. Considering how successful Ace Combat is, would you consider making a game based on something more fantastical? While maintaining your grounded style?

MS: Because the game feel of Ace Combat is very realistic we have been approached by various companies to create something similar, including the aviation industry. However, the reality is that Ace Combat team is not large and we are fairly limited in capacity. Therefore if we do opt to create something like that we won’t be able to proceed with future content for Ace Combat.

So there are a great number of fans who are looking for future instalments and first and foremost our focus is on providing the entertainment content, so we have no plans to create a simulator-esque title.

GC: My pipe dream of a Xevious space combat simulator is doomed…

Both: [laughs]

KK: Well, you have a role to play, David. If you write a great article and Ace Combat sales greatly increase then maybe we can increase the number of projects.

GC: OK, if you win that Game Awards music category, you must promise to make that game.

Both: [laughs]

MS: [in English] Thank you very much!

GC: Thank you very much for your time.

KK: Thank you.

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