The joint MMORPG project by Bandai Namco and Amazon, which has been subjected to benign censorship, continues grappling issues with retaining its Japanese player base.
Announced during The Game Awards in 2022, Blue Protocol emerged as a joint venture between Amazon Games and Bandai Namco, aiming to capitalize on the success of live service gacha titles like miHoYo’s Genshin Impact.
However, the project faces significant challenges. Bandai Namco’s deep involvement in the hedge fund investment bubble of Western ESG policies poses a hurdle, as does the track record of previous Amazon MMORPG ventures, which have drawn criticism for their lack of sustenance, extensive censorship across regions with hilariously blatant forced diversity and inclusivity via the race swapping of various characters.
Despite the fact that Blue Protocol has yet to officially release in Western regions, the game has been unceremoniously censored even in Japan via the recently released console port on Sony systems, which removes the jiggle physics button inside of the character creation screen alongside removing specific underwear items on the PlayStation platform along with various NPC costume designs being altered so that they reveal far less skin.
Native Japanese players have long since abandoned Blue Protocol, as I myself would rather play upcoming MMORPGs of a similar aesthetic such as Wuthering Waves and Project Mugen, with both Chinese backed games having zero input from one of the most globalized tyrants on the face of the earth, Amazon.
Bandai Namco’s latest effort to bring players back to Blue Protocol involves the release of the main story’s fifth chapter, which centers on aiding in the success of a festival. To energize both current and dormant players, they’ve also unveiled a slew of balance adjustments and quality-of-life enhancements aimed at addressing the underlying issues.
On social media, Japanese players are pointing out the sluggish servers that hinder access to the game, despite what appears to be a rapid decline in Blue Protocol’s player population. Many players, resorting to alternate characters, are seeking activities to occupy their time.
The game’s multiplayer, heavily reliant on matchmaking, exacerbates the issue of finding quests during certain hours.
Furthermore, there’s ongoing discussion regarding the game’s inadequate bug fixes, although this issue has been partially resolved with the latest major update. Despite this, players persist in expressing their discontent with the game’s progression, believing it fell short of expectations from the outset.
Many speculate that Blue Protocol may terminate its services in the near future, which it likely will once the game releases in Western regions and fails to capture the so-called “modern audience” that Amazon panders towards.
Blue Protocol is lousy, is devoid of content and players, Japanese fans are forced to endure Western region censorship for the Sony PlayStation release as well. The game’s appeal in Western markets primarily lies with fans of Japanese media entertainment such as anime and manga.
However, the extensive censorship implemented by Bandai Namco and Amazon Games has drawn immense scrutiny from Western players, leading many to avoid the game altogether. Additionally, disgruntled dyed haired feminists, are uninterested in Japanese products they perceive as “sexualizing minors” as many such people believe all things anime is “pedophilic” in nature.
Bandai Namco announced a strategic shift in its game development focus towards emphasizing “quality” following a tumultuous Q3 financial report in February. The report revealed a significant 48% year-over-year decrease in the company’s operating income, alongside a staggering 96.5% decline in income from its digital division.
As part of this refocusing effort, the company has decided to cancel five undisclosed games. It’s widely speculated that the main factor contributing to Bandai’s financial downturn is likely attributable to Blue Protocol which has failed not only in the native region of Japan but is almost guaranteed to flop even harder in the West, providing that they even keep the game active until that day arrives sometime this year.
I’m relieved to see Amazon facing another setback, especially considering their previous collaborative ventures like Lost Ark and New World ended in failure rather quickly. Blue Protocol wasn’t a standout MMORPG to begin with, and its potential was stifled by Western-influenced censorship by the hands of Amazon.
Which has made Blue Protocol neigh impossible for Bandai Namco to salvage.
