Blue Protocol to end service without making it to the West 

Bandai Namco Online announced on August 28 that they will be ending services for the anime MMORPG Blue Protocol. The Japanese title was supposed to get a global release by Amazon Games sometime in 2024, but these plans have also been cancelled. 

In the announcement, Bandai Namco Online states: 

We regret to inform you that the Japanese version of Blue Protocol will be discontinued on Saturday January 18, 2025. As a result, we have also canceled our plans to release a Western version of the game in collaboration with Amazon Games. We have enjoyed a strong relationship with Amazon Games throughout the development of Blue Protocol, and both of our teams are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the game to players around the world. 

Blue Protocol, developed by Project Sky Blue (which includes members of Bandai Namco Online and Bandai Namco Studios), launched in June 2023 for players in Japan after a long time in development. The game initially generated significant interest in Japan thanks to its sleek anime-style graphics and the exciting prospect of a new a high-budget domestic MMORPG. It celebrated 200.000 concurrent players immediately upon launch, with users fighting to get into its crowded servers. 

However, Blue Protocol’s strong start was short-lived, as users started expressing dissatisfaction with the game and player numbers began to dwindle.  Subsequent statements from Bandai Namco expressed disappointment with the game’s underperformance, which had significant financial consequences for the company. The MMORPG’s developers have spoken to the media about various gameplay related issues they have identified, such as its repetitive gameplay loop and a lack of content. 

Blue Protocol’s developers seemed to have been working very hard on addressing the game’s issues up until very recently too – on June 26, they released a large-scale update titled “Beyond,” which was meant to resolve many of the issues and become the “new Blue Protocol.” However, it seems these efforts were not enough to reignite player interest for the MMORPG, as Bandai Namco Online has decided to shut it down.