The anime MMORPG Blue Protocol was the hope and highlight of the year 2023 for many. Now, developer Bandai Namco announces in a stream that the game must be delayed, at least in the West.
What was announced in the stream? On June 23, the developers of Blue Protocol, Bandai Namco, held their seventh Dev stream. During this, there were some new pieces of information about the game that may especially not please Western fans.
Initially, there was great excitement as the devs proudly announced that Blue Protocol would be released in Japan on June 14, 2023, in just under 3 weeks. However, then came the devastating news for Western players.
In our region, Blue Protocol will no longer be released this year, but only in 2024. A precise date is not yet known. Although closed beta tests for the West were announced on the same slide in the stream, which are supposed to take place later this year, that is merely a small consolation.
Why is the release in the West delayed? Amazon or Bandai Namco do not specify exact reasons for the significant delay of the Western release. On their website, they write:
Our planned release window is shifting to 2024 as we work to bring Blue Protocol to the West for PC, Xbox X|S, and PlayStation 5. We are working hard to localize the engaging stories and build the infrastructure needed for multiplayer adventures and massive online battles against huge monsters, to provide our players with the best possible experience at launch.
playblueprotocol.com
Thus, the localization may take longer than initially assumed. The console release, which is directly mentioned in this statement, could also be a reason for the delay, but in the end, we can only speculate here.
How you can try Blue Protocol this year
How do you get into the beta? As mentioned earlier, there are supposed to be closed beta tests for the MMORPG in 2023. You can already sign up for these and get a taste of the world of Blue Protocol this year.
To do this, simply go to playblueprotocol.com and select that you wish to register for the beta. By the way, you need an Amazon account for that to work.
There is not yet a date for the beta. However, after successfully registering, you will receive a notification that you will be informed via email once a date is set.
In the stream, only a PC beta was mentioned, so it is unlikely that you will be able to play on Xbox or PlayStation. However, nowhere on Amazon’s official website is it described that the beta is only supposed to take place on PC. We will have to be surprised.
Can you play in Japan via VPN? Probably not. Technically, that could work, but it was already seen during the network test that Bandai Namco swings the ban hammer without mercy here.
Thus, it is to be assumed that you cannot simply play in Japan even after the official release.
Community is annoyed and comes up with wild theories: “Amazon just doesn’t want competition for Throne and Liberty”
How are the fans reacting? In the subreddit, the announcement of the delay was received quite poorly, to put it mildly. Among the 224 comments of the post, which it achieved in just 20 hours, there are very few positive comments.
This small handful of fans is pleased that there will be a developed wiki and plenty of information about the game by the time it is released for us. But that is the minority. A large portion of the fans is upset that the game is delayed for at least 6 months, if not longer.
Quickly, wild theories arise among fans as many cannot conceive that localization is the reason for the delay. Some speculate that Amazon is aiming for a simultaneous release for PC and console.
Others believe that marketing is behind it, and they simply do not want to bring Blue Protocol to the Western market within the same timeframe as Throne and Liberty. The mood among fans is heavily subdued, regardless of which theory they believe in.
What are people saying: At this point, we would like to share some of the comments. They all come from the thread discussing the delay of Blue Protocol:
- ds2isthebestone writes: “How do you justify a delay of more than 6 months for a game that is already finished in June? Really Amazon, how?”
- LinkofHyrule says: “I think they want a simultaneous release for consoles with the PC. That means they will have two more platforms that could cause problems.”
- Kuhaku-Boss writes: “I bet they just don’t want it to launch at the same time as Throne and Liberty. They also delayed Lost Ark because of New World. I would have preferred a different publisher.”
- JimmyBacon says: “This really killed my whole hype. Waiting more than 6 months while others can already play the game is frustrating.”
What do you think about this? Were you looking forward to Blue Protocol? How do you feel about the delay? Is it bearable, or is your hype gone as well? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments here at MeinMMO.
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