The development of the game began after the release of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere between mid-1999 and 2000, and the game was designed from the start to be a PlayStation 2 launch title. The technical upgrades offered by the console's hardware led the Electrosphere staff to view the game as a "return to zero" that was chosen to retain the core dogfighting mechanics of the previous titles, leading the game to be tentatively titled Ace Combat 01 in early design documents to represent its status as a "reboot" of the series.