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Kazutoki Kono is the Brand Director of the ACE COMBAT series at Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and the Vice President of Bandai Namco Aces Inc.

He began his career creating background visuals for RAGE RACER (1996), then contributed game visuals for ACE COMBAT 2, and served as Art Director for RIDGE RACER TYPE 4 and ACE COMBAT 04: Shattered Skies, where he crafted distinctive and immersive visual worlds.

In 2004, as Director of ACE COMBAT 5: THE UNSUNG WAR, he elevated the series’ direction and storytelling to new levels of refinement, earning strong acclaim from fans.

Since then, as Producer of ACE COMBAT: ASSAULT HORIZON, ACE COMBAT INFINITY, and ACE COMBAT 7: SKIES UNKNOWN, he has continued to take on new challenges, achieving global recognition and praise.

The 30-Year Journey of the Ace Combat Series

Kazutoki Kono, the series brand director who has overseen the Ace Combat IP for 30 years, looks back on the history of creation and evolution spanning the Ace Combat series' 

30th anniversary.

In this session, moderated by IGN Japan's Executive Producer Daniel Robson, we explore how Ace Combat's concepts, narratives, and technology have been crafted and advanced from its release in 1995 to the present day.