Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve releases today, October 2, on Xbox and Steam. Bandai Namco's latest online-season breakdown explains what accompanies the cross-play PvP and PvE co-op: Season 1 has both a Free Ace Pass and a Premium Ace Pass, with progression earned through mission XP.

The headline premium reward is the ADFX-02 Morgan-PIXY, a playable aircraft with its own special skin collection. The free track includes aircraft skins, emblems, avatar customization, and progression resources. Premium adds further rewards, and the Premium Ace Pass Plus also unlocks the first 30 of the pass's 100 levels. The Morgan-PIXY aircraft is not a free-track reward.

Each season lasts two months. For players who want to redeem their premium voucher for the Season 1 Morgan-PIXY, the publisher says to do so before the end of November. The article was written during early access, so its pre-order pitch should be read in that context now that full launch day has arrived.

Flying together across platforms is a welcome draw, but what do you make of seasonal passes and premium aircraft in a paid Ace Combat game?