Summary
A short-lived MMORPG from Bandai Namco,Blue Protocol,is set to shut down permanently in January 2025, taking the game offline and making it unavailable to play or download after the inevitable closure. Reasons for the closure are seemingly purely financial, andBlue Protocolwill also no longer see an international release via Amazon Games, as Bandai Namco initially planned.
Blue Protocolis an action-based MMORPG from developer Bandai Namco with a distinct anime aesthetic very in line withthe company’s belovedTalesseriesof action JRPGs. The game offers a variety of classes to choose from, all of which have distinct playstyles and weapon types, and lets players create a custom avatar to explore the open world with and team up with others to complete quests and take on bosses.
Now, however, theofficial website forBlue Protocolcontains an announcement confirming the game’s looming shutdown as Bandai Namco prepares to discontinue service and close its servers indefinitely. Effective January 2025, players will no longer be able to access the game at all, and plans for a release outside of Japan in partnership with Amazon Games are out the window now, too, as a result.
The shutdown may come as a surprise to fans of the MMORPG, asBlue Protocolenjoyed mostly positive reviews and feedback from players in its early days, with many comparing it to the massivelypopular HoYoverse games likeGenshin Impact.Despite its positive reception, however, the reason for its closure appears to be financial, as Bandai Namco reported that it failed to meet profit expectations.
Amazon has produced MMORPGs in the past, likeits own original titleNew World,which got off to a rough start but quickly became more popular as the game underwent several massive updates and received new content. The company also assisted with the Korean action MMOLost Ark, giving the game a worldwide release via its Amazon Games brand.
As for Bandai Namco, the hit developer still has plenty of projects in the works, with the JRPGTales of Graces f Remasteredcoming soon, givingTalesfans something to hold them over while they wait for a new entry. The company is currently gearing up to publishthe highly-anticipated fighting gameDragon Ball: Sparking Zerolater this year as well, along with a slate of other upcoming projects, so Bandai Namco fans still have plenty to look forward to in the near future.
