With Blue Protocol, one of the most exciting projects of the near future has settled comfortably on the MMO graveyard. But what does the end of the anime MMORPG mean for publisher Amazon Games?
What is happening with Blue Protocol and Amazon Games? On August 28, 2024, MeinMMO reported that the officials from Bandai Namco will discontinue the anime MMORPG in Japan and have thrown the plans for a global launch in the trash.
That publisher Amazon Games seemingly had little to do with this decision is suggested by the statement on the official website of Blue Protocol (via playblueprotocol.com), in which the publisher expresses disappointment over the premature end.
Blue Protocol felt like a playable anime with MMO foundations:
After the project is before the project
What does the end mean for Amazon Games? While the company behind New World and Lost Ark was “just” the publisher of Blue Protocol, it requires a large team to manage the global launch of an MMORPG – including localization in multiple languages – and to provide ongoing service.
How much Amazon Games had hoped for the anime adventure is shown by a personnel decision: In February 2021, genre veteran Mike Zadorojny took on the role of franchise leader for Blue Protocol. Zadorojny had previously spent 13 years at ArenaNet, primarily working as a designer and game director on Guild Wars 2.
What happens to the experienced developer now is unclear. On his profile on linkedin.com, there was an update for August 2024, but it currently only states “Amazon Game Studios: Franchise Leader”. However, the publisher has at least confirmed to the website mmorpg.com that there will be no layoffs in the Amazon team of Blue Protocol.
Instead, the employees are to be divided among new future projects and take on new roles at Amazon Games. According to Vice President Christoph Hartmann, currently ten new games are in development. The known ones are:
- Publisher for the MMORPG Throne and Liberty, with a release planned for October 1, 2024
- Developer of the new Aeternum version of New World, with a release on October 15, 2024
- Publisher for the hack-and-slash co-op game King of Meat
- Publisher for a story-based open-world racing game from Maverick Games
- Publisher for the new Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics
- Developer of the new MMORPG for the Lord of the Rings universe
Many of these projects are likely to belong to the AAA category and therefore require large teams for implementation. Accordingly, it should be easy to integrate the members of the Blue Protocol team as additional support. More on the current status at the publisher: There is a sign of life from the new MMORPG for Lord of the Rings from Amazon Games
