Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the first mainline title in the long-running franchise in over 12 years, which means that fans have been waiting a long time for their sortie fix. It seems that the franchise will be flying high for the foreseeable future, as developer Bandai Namco confirms that the game has officially gone gold.

In a tweet posted earlier today, Bandai Namco Southeast Asia announced that Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown has sold 500,000 units in Asia alone within just one month since its release on 18 January 2019 for the PS4 and Xbox One, and 1 February 2019 for the PC. That’s certainly impressive for is essentially a niche game franchise.

Ace Combat 7 has sold 500,000 units within release month in Asia! We salute all the amazing pilots that have joined us on ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN!

Here’s to more exciting dogfights in the skies! pic.twitter.com/hl8eTwl4b9

— BANDAI NAMCO S.E.A. (@BandaiNamcoSEA) February 25, 2019

However, the great sales will more or less ensure that the arcade flight sim genre stays alive in gaming. In this day and age, it’s reassuring to know that gamers can still appreciate a game like this amidst a sea of battle royale and shooters.

In other related news, Bandai Namco unveiled our first look at the Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown season pass content earlier this month with a short trailer, which seems to be teasing the return of a fan-favorite jet. In the meantime, check out my review of the game here.