Despite being one of the reasons I started this site in the first place I still managed to miss this one! On December 8th, 2017 Bandai NAMCO announced they would be shutting down the free-to-play, multiplayer iteration of their long-running arcade flight combat series, Ace Combat Infinity on PlayStation 3. We’re already past the first milestone of January 9th, when all real-money in-game purchases were disabled, but there’s still time to check out the game leading up to its March 31st shutdown date. The full announcement follows:
To all pilots,
Thank you for playing ACE COMBAT INFINITY.
We regret to announce the closure of ACE COMBAT INFNITY. Thank you all for your support and we hope you enjoyed playing. We will be keeping the servers open until March 31st, 2018, so please continue to enjoy ACE COMBAT INFINITY until the very end. Details concerning the closure schedule can be found below.
ACE COMBAT INFINITY Closure Schedule
January 9th, 2018 – This is the last day for purchasing items. Items will no longer be available for purchase after this date.
*All purchased items can be used until the last day of service.
*No refunds are available for purchased items regardless of whether or not they have been used.
*The exact time when items will no longer be available for purchase may vary depending on your region.March 1st, 2018 – After this date, free items will no longer be available and you will not be able to redeem any codes. Also, the game will no longer be available for download.
*All purchased items can be used until the last day of service.
*The exact time when items will no longer be available for purchase may vary depending on your region.March 31st, 2018 – After this date, game updates will no longer be available and the servers will close.
*You will not be able to play the game once the servers have been closed.
*The date indicated above may change without prior notice.
*The exact time when the servers will close may vary depending on your region.Additional information will be provided via in-game notifications and the official website.
– ACE COMBAT INFINITY Management Team
The announcement was accompanied by an unexpected trailer/tribute video to the game which has been up and running since May of 2014. By the March 31st deadline the game will be just two months shy of its fourth anniversary, quite a long run for such a niche franchise.
I’ve added the dates to the Watch List calendar and will have a page up soon. This one is near and dear to my heart so I hope to make a few videos as I dive back into it after nearly a year away from the game.