Canceled Bandai Namco MMORPG is making a comeback

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Important takeaways

  • After being discontinued due to lack of players, Blue Protocol will be revived as Star Resonance.
  • The game will be set in the same world as Blue Protocol but will feature new characters and an original story.
  • Chinese developer Bokura is working on the game in collaboration with Bandai Namco.



Blue protocolBandai Namco's canceled MMORPG, comes back to life as Stellar resonance. Despite a positive reception, the original MMO struggled to gain the player base necessary to justify its continued development and support. Although it was disappointing to many fans, Blue protocol won't be gone forever, as a spinoff-turned-spiritual successor will take its place soon.

Bandai Namco announced that it is shutting down Blue protocol in August 2024, giving players until January 2025 to enjoy the title before the servers go offline. The MMO had yet to see a release outside of Japan before the news broke, but now players who didn't get a chance to try the original can have another chance to explore the world of Regna. Stellar resonancewhich started as a mobile spinoff of Blue Protocol, is still in the works and nearing an initial release.


Blue Protocol succeeds where Ni No Kuno failed

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Blue Protocol was able to succeed where Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds failed

Amazon Gaming's next project Blue Protocol seems to have a lot of similarities to Ni No Kuni: Cross Worlds, but it needs to be so much better.

Bokura, a Chinese developer, had previously announced a collaboration with Bandai Namco, saying they were working on another story set in Blue protocolRain's world. Now that project has begun to take shape with the unveiling of Stellar resonance. As the initial announcement stated, the game takes place in the same world as Blue protocol but follows new characters and an original story. While it's not the original game, it's still a promising update for fans, some of whom believed Blue protocol could be Amazon's first big game success, especially since many didn't get to experience Regnas from the very beginning.


Star Resonance could succeed where Blue Protocol failed

It is unclear when Stellar resonance will launch, but Bokura is currently running a closed beta test in China, ending at the end of December 2024. Some original team members from Blue protocol is also working on the project, which could help it become a truer spiritual successor to Bandai Namco's ill-fated MMO. Although still in development, early signs are promising. The pivot to include mobile support could help the game reach a larger audience. Other MMOs have seen significant success going that route, too Genshin Impact is one of the best free PC games available today.


It's also worth noting that Bokura is a Tencent-backed studio. Tencent is a huge conglomerate with deep ties to the video game industry. Ubisoft is rumored to be considering a buyout for Tencent if that's any indication of the kind of resources at the company's disposal. Having the support of such a large industrial powerhouse could help Stellar resonance weather its first release there Blue protocol failed to manage the costs. For now, fans will have to wait and see what happens with the game and its final release.

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