Key findings
- Blue Protocol, a short-lived MMORPG by Bandai Namco, will be permanently discontinued in January 2025. Financial reasons are cited as the reason.
- Players can no longer access the action-based MMORPG, which offered different classes and a custom avatar creation system.
- Despite positive reviews, Bandai Namco’s decision to cancel Blue Protocol has left fans disappointed, with plans for an international release being cancelled.
A short-lived MMORPG from Bandai Namco, Blue Protocol, is set to be shut down permanently in January 2025, which will mean the game will go offline and will no longer be playable or downloadable after the inevitable closure. The reasons for the closure appear to be purely financial, and Blue Protocol There will also no longer be an international release via Amazon Games, as Bandai Namco had initially planned.
Blue Protocol is an action-based MMORPG from developer Bandai Namco with a distinct anime aesthetic that is very much in line with the popular Stories Series of action JRPGs. The game features a variety of classes to choose from, all with different play styles and weapon types, and allows players to create a custom avatar to explore the open world and team up with others to complete quests and defeat bosses.
But now the official website for Blue Protocol includes an announcement confirming the game’s impending cancellation, as Bandai Namco prepares to shut down the service and close its servers indefinitely. As of January 2025, players will no longer be able to access the game at all, and plans for a release outside of Japan in collaboration with Amazon Games are therefore also off the table.
The closure could come as a surprise to fans of the MMORPG, because Blue Protocol received mostly positive reviews and feedback from players in its early years, with many comparing it to the extremely popular HoYoverse games, such as Genshin Influence. Despite the positive response, the reason for the closure appears to be financial, as Bandai Namco reported that profit expectations were not met.
Amazon has produced MMORPGs in the past, such as its own original title New World, The game had a rocky start but quickly gained popularity as it went through several major updates and received new content. The company also helped with the Korean action MMO The Lost Arkwhich means the game will be released worldwide through the Amazon Games brand.
As for Bandai Namco, the successful developer still has many projects in the works, including the JRPG Tales of Graces f Remastered coming soon, give Stories fans something to keep them entertained while they wait for a new entry. The company is currently gearing up to release the highly anticipated fighting game Dragon Ball: Spark Zero later this year, along with a number of other upcoming projects, so Bandai Namco fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future.
