The signs for Blue Protocol things are not looking good for its impending release in the West. The console version launched in Japan in December; the service was previously running on PCs.
Bandai Namco Online had previously hosted an “emergency livestream” in September 2023. 50 percent of players in Japan were dissatisfied: the balancing was immature, the microtransactions were criticized and the endgame grind displeased fans. Class buffs and debuffs were not well received and so on.
To date, the problems do not seem to have been fully resolved. And if the players are unhappy, then of course Bandai Namco is too. As the latest annual report shows, Blue Protocol is falling short of its expectations.
Bandai Namco cites losses due to “new online game titles introduced this fiscal year.” You don’t mention the child by name, but Siliconera points out that it is the only online game that Bandai Namco has recently launched.
Will the start in the West be successful?
Amazon Games, which is launching the game in the West, promised last year to work closely with Bandai to receive detailed player feedback. Then there was the postponement to 2024. The action RPG will also be playable for free in the West.
We were able to play Blue Protocol at Gamescom. Our session had a somewhat tempering effect on our anticipation at the time. But that was just a preview version back then. However, there are currently not very good signs that the Western launch will be significantly more successful than the one in Japan.
Images: Blue Protocol, Amazon Games, Bandai Namco
