Blue Protocol Ending in Japan, Worldwide Release Canceled

Bandai Namco announced that service will be ending for Blue Protocol in Japan and Amazon also confirmed the worldwide release is canceled as a result of the shutdown. The Japanese version will remain active until January 18, 2025. 

The announcement appeared on both the Japanese and English websites for the MMORPG. There is also a Japanese video going over the announcement and final roadmap. The team will continue adding new content and updating the game until it is closed down. The paid Rose Orbs currency is no longer being sold, and there will be no refunds for those purchases. Bandai Namco will give out 5,000 Rose Orbs on the first day of every month starting in September 2024 and running until January 2025. Players can get 250 Rose Orbs every day. They can also get the season pass for free starting with the just-released ninth one.

Here is Bandai Namco’s full English statement about the Japanese shutdown of Blue Protocol and the global version being canceled:

We regret to inform you that the Japanese version of Blue Protocol will be ending service on Saturday, January 18, 2025.

Due to the end of the Japanese version, we are no longer able to continue development of the Amazon Games version, so after discussing with Amazon Games, we have decided to cancel the release of this title in the US and Europe. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.

Amazon Games has high expectations for Blue Protocol, and the two companies have had a good relationship up until now and have been making preparations, so we are very disappointed.

We want to provide an experience that makes you feel like you’ve entered the world of anime.

The project has taken on the challenge of creating a world where each and every player canenjoy an adventure as the protagonist of an anime.

Since the announcement, you have all been looking forward to the game, and we have been making preparations for its release. However, we have come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to provide a service that satisfies you all, and therefore we have decided to cancel the release of the Amazon Games version.

We deeply apologize to everyone for this sudden announcement.

Here is Amazon’s official statement on Blue Protocol service ending:

Bandai Namco Online announced that they have made the difficult decision to end service on Blue Protocol. They will shut down their Japanese Blue Protocol servers in January 2025, and have ended plans to release the game in the West in collaboration with Amazon Games.

In their statement announcing the end of service, Bandai Namco Online said, “We have enjoyed a strong relationship with Amazon Games throughout the development of Blue Protocol, and both of our teams are disappointed that we will not be able to deliver the game to players around the world.”

We know this is disappointing news, and we share your disappointment. We love the world and characters of Blue Protocol, and we were excited to welcome players around the world into Regnas. We join Bandai Namco Online in expressing deep gratitude to the passionate fans who followed BBlue Protocol development and participated in the Closed Technical Test.

We have great respect and appreciation for the talented team at Bandai Namco, and wish them success in their next endeavors. You can read Bandai Namco Online’s full statement about Blue Protocol here.

Prior to the shutdown notice, Bandai Namco regularly added new content to Blue Protocol. In June 2024, chapter 6 appeared. We also saw new classes appear after launch. One was the Beat Performer, and another was the Blitz Lancer.

We did have some idea that there were issues with Blue Protocol before this latest announcement. In February 2024, a Bandai Namco report suggested it was underperforming. In a Famitsu interview with the developers in June 2024, Director Keisuke Fukuzaki said they were looking at when they noticed players dropping off and would work to try and address causes.

Blue Protocol is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC in Japan until January 18, 2025, and the global release is canceled.