Amazon Cancels Blue Protocol’s Western Release, Discontinues Game

Amazon Games and Bandai Namco have canceled the Western release of Blue Protocol following its availability in Japan, the companies announced this week. The MMO meant to make players feel like they were entering the world of an anime launched in Japan back in 2023 while the Western version was supposed to launch some time this year for the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC platforms, but those waiting on the Western release have heard next to nothing about Blue Protocol since those commitments were made. Now, would-be players are finding out that that’s because the Western release has been canceled outright.

The end of Blue Protocol was announced in a statement shared in English and Japanese over on the Blue Protocol site. The Japanese version is shutting down on January 18th, and as such, the Western version is a no-go now.

“As a result, we have also canceled our plans to release a Western version of the game in collaboration with Amazon Games,” the Blue Protocol team 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.”

The Blue Protocol developers continued by apologizing for the sudden announcement about the end of the game, though it’s not as if the game had a release date for the Western version that people could look forward to anyway.

“We know there has been great anticipation for Blue Protocol since the first announcement of the game,”  We wanted to deliver an experience that is like stepping into the world of anime, and we have been challenging ourselves to create a world where each and every player can enjoy adventures as the main character of the anime. We have worked hard to prepare for the release; however, we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you.”

The news of Blue Protocol shutting down follows a series of other Amazon Games mishaps that have befallen other games. Crucible, for example, was launched, taken back into beta, and then canceled outright after it failed to find an audience. Amazon Games was also supposed to be making an MMO set in the world of The Lord of the Rings, but that got canceled, too.