Blue Protocol shutdown: Japanese users lament how the anime MMORPG’s potential was a wasted opportunity 

Bandai Namco announced on August 28 that they will be shutting down their MMORPG Blue Protocol next January. This news has prompted an outpouring of reactions from Japanese users to the official announcement posted on X, including disappointment, anger and indifference. The game spent 8 years in development but will end up running for a mere 1 year and 7 months. 

Launching in Japan back in June 2023, Blue Protocol had been due for a global release sometime in 2024. Despite surpassing Bandai Namco’s own records with 200,000 concurrent players at launch, interest in the title dwindled due to multiple factors such as a repetitive gameplay cycle that did not work out like the developers had envisioned, performance issues and lack of new content. The game has attracted attention for various reasons, from its stuttering framerate issue at launch, which prompted some players to go naked, to its stunning anime-style visuals and beautifully rendered cabbages. 

Commenting on Bandai’s decision to shut down Blue Protocol’s servers, many Japanese people on social media considered the game’s genre to have been a major part of the issue. “Everyone was expecting a Japanese MMO but once it was released, no-one was calling it an MMO. It’s an action RPG.” One user opined. “So those who had been looking forward (to an MMO) soon quit and didn’t spend any money.” Others pointed out that there are many rival games on the market, including MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV and the free-to-play action RPG Zenless Zone Zero.   

However, not all players were disappointed by Blue Protocol. “Even though it has been nicknamed “Protokuso” (Protoshit), for me personally, it was the most enjoyable MMO I’ve played.” One user lamented, adding that they would like to get the rest of Blue Protocol’s story, even as a follow-up novel.  

A prominent sentiment was that Blue Protocol was a “wasted opportunity” with people singling out the game’s striking anime visuals and character customization as the game’s highlights- “I hope Blue Protocol’s failure can be used to make other Japanese games.” 

Blue Protocol took 8 years to develop, and its polished anime-style visuals were a promising draw for many. “I think this is a “really wasteful” case that will go down in the history of games.” one commenter summed up. As well as resulting in significant financial losses for Bandai Namco Holdings and its subsidiaries, recent news also suggest that Blue Protocol’s failure could have a knock-on impact on the Japanese gaming industry as a whole. Chinese tech giant Tencent, one of Blue Protocol’s investors, is apparently considering lowering its investment in Japanese games, a decision that might have been influenced by the MMORPG’s failure.