Last night, Bandai Namco Online and Amazon Games announced that Blue Protocol would be shut down and that its global release would be canceled. Today, in a statement to MMORPG.com, we've learned that Amazon's developers working on the release will avoid layoffs, and instead be moved to other projects.
Last night's news came as a shock to some, expected for others based on the way things were looking for Bandai Namco Online lately. The Japanese developer announced it was insolvent back in June, and with the near-total silence from both it and Amazon Games on Blue Protocol's status, it wasn't a shocker to see that it would be shuttered just a year after it launched.
That said, when these moves happen, we typically see teams laid off and developers lose their livelihoods, which was a question I asked myself when writing last night's report. Without Blue Protocol to develop, would we see the same happen to the team supporting it at Amazon Games as well?
Thankfully, according to an Amazon Games spokesperson, this won't happen. When asked what will happen to the developers working on the MMO, Amazon responded that the team "supporting Blue Protocol will be re-assigned to other projects on the horizon." They also specifically confirmed that "all members of the Blue Protocol team will have new roles at Amazon Games."
This is a good sign, especially as the games industry has reeled from record layoffs across the board going back to 2023. Amazon hasn't been safe from the layoff machine, with 180 employees laid off last year. Companies like Halo creator and Destiny 2 developer Bungie have seen wave after wave of layoffs, while even large corporations like Microsoft have let record amounts of talent go.
One big question I still have is what will Blue Protocol's Franchise Lead Mike Zadorojny do next? With Amazon still working on multiple MMOs, Zadorojny's expertise will still be an asset to the company, especially as it preps to launch Throne and Liberty in October, New World: Aeternum also in October, and it is still working on its Lord of the Rings MMO, though it is trying to find its hook.
It is probably too early to say, but we did ask for clarification on his next role, as well as how many employees were affected by this move, and we will update this story if Amazon responds.
