If you've been wondering what exactly is going on with Blue Protocol, you're not alone. Thankfully, it looks like Bandai Namco has provided something of an update this week for fans eager for news.
In a post on the Bandai Namco website this week, General Manager of Development Hiroshi Yoshida talked about the company and its upcoming releases. Starting off by stating (via Google Translate) that in the "next few years from 2022," we should be seeing Blue Protocol and Gundam Evolution launch. Obviously this means that the anticipated anime-inspired MMO from Bandai Namco won't be hitting digital shelves this year. In fact, it really doesn't give a more accurate timetable other than sometime after 2022.
The reason? The current restructuring the company's online division has gone through. Bandai Namco's new structure separates the development and business division, and is aimed at better situating developers that work together.
As for Blue Protocol specifically, fansite Blue Protocol DB has a translation of a separate blog post by the MMO's Executive Producer Soukichi Shimooka talking about the current development of the title. The post states that the team is "aiming for the world," hinting at the long-hoped for Blue Protocol global release. Testing has happened for the past few years, which Shimooka mentions that the team is still evaluating the data from tests in 2019 and 2020.
Via the Blue Protocol DB translation:
"I want to see people of different cultures and languages bond over the game, and make memories that would have been impossible in the real world. I want to make it a game loved and treasured by online gamers all over the world. This is why we need to seriously aim for the world market. We cannot make any compromises."
Ta, MassivelyOP
