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In a recent Famitsu interview with various Blue Protocol developers at Bandai Namco, the team addressed the struggle the game is having to keep up its numbers, as well as increase player interest. As a reminder, a recent Bandai Namco financial statement revealed that Blue Protocol is underperforming for the company. [Thanks, Famitsu!]
In order to address the waning interest in Bandai Namco’s action MMORPG, the developers conducted a survey aimed at players to learn how they feel about the current state of the game. Blue Protocol Executive Producer Sokichi Shimooka revealed that one important aspect that players felt was lacking was challenge. On the other side, players also responded to the survey requesting for more was to engage in casual fun. Shimooka said that figuring out what “challenging” and “casual” means for Blue Protocol is key for the team.
Director Keisuke Fukuzaki said that they are analyzing data to figure out points in the game where players drop out of the game and determine the causes. Additionally, they are planning on adding guides in difficult or confusing parts of the game. Producer Takahiro Suzuki said that, for the Ver.1.06.000 update “Beyond,” they tried to harken back to hack and slash and treasure hunting experiences (likened to Diablo in the interview.)
Some of the changes made in the new update include increasing the number of skills to 8, streamlining the way of obtaining equipment. Suzuki also said that, while crafting is convenient, it’s not as exciting as getting the drop you want. For this reason, they increased the boss item drop rate. In addition to these changes, the Blue Protocol development team is planning to make more changes to keep the game engaging.
Blue Protocol is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC in Japan. The worldwide release of the game will happen sometime in 2024. The Beyond update comes out on June 26, 2024.
