Bandai Namco took to the latest iteration of The Game Awards to confirm that its anime MMORPG Blue Protocol will be launching in the West in 2023 thanks to a newly struck partnership with Amazon Games, in addition to sharing a new trailer for its upcoming title. The Japanese studio has been working on the game for over half a decade by now, as Blue Protocol was originally planned for a 2021 release before being hit with a significant, pandemic-induced delay.
Between its anime art style, free-to-play business model, and action RPG gameplay, Blue Protocol has long invited comparisons with HoYoverse's hit gacha game Genshin Impact. But that's as far as the similarities between the two seem to go, since Blue Protocol was actually envisioned as a full-fledged MMO that's way too complex to be played on a touchscreen and hence won't be releasing on mobile devices. Based on the promotional materials that Bandai Namco shared to date, Blue Protocol seems to be much closer to Sega's popular 2012 MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 than Genshin Impact.
Bandai Namco and Amazon Games have now struck a publishing deal to bring Blue Protocol to the West in the second half of 2023. The wording of their announcement suggests Japan might still get to play the game early, as the developers recently said Blue Protocol will debut in their home country in spring 2023. The free-to-play ARPG will take place in an open world of Regnas, with Bandai Namco previously promising everything from "deep character customization" to an "immersive multiplayer experience" which will still be largely available to solo players. Blue Protocol will feature five character classes at launch, including paladin-like Blade Wardens and Keen Striders, who seem slightly reminiscent of Bravers from Phantasy Star Online 2, sans the katanas.
Closed beta signups for the Western version of Blue Protocol are already available via the game's official website. Given Bandai Namco's choice of a publisher, it's no surprise that pre-registering for the beta requires an Amazon account. A live server test is already scheduled for the weekend ending January 16, 2023, with the developers stating they intend to limit this PC-only trial instance to 50,000 players. Due to the complicated nature of developing and maintaining contemporary live-service games, it's quite plausible this won't be the only live server test held prior to the game's release.
Blue Protocol is poised to continue Amazon Games' track record of localizing some of the biggest MMORPG projects from the Far East. Most recently, the company handled the Western release of hit Korean MMO Lost Ark, which was brought to English-speaking audiences in early 2022.
Blue Protocol is coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in the second half of 2023.
Source: Blue Protocol
