“Our motto is fair and fun.”
LikeLost Arkbefore it, Blue Protocol is another example of East meets West from Amazon Games.
Will Blue Protocol be the stickiest of the lot?
And [Blue Protocol] is a very story driven game."
Blue Protocol is an action-focused MMORPG.
Enemy AoE attacks are clearly telegraphed and a dodge button allows players to swiftly manoeuvre around the battlefield.
Interestingly, Blue Protocol doesn’t prescribe to the typical trinity of damage dealer, tank and healer.
Instead, all classes can mix and match between these roles, depending on the skills they acquire.
Indeed, player flexibility is a big part of the Blue Protocol experience.
“You are creating your own hero, your own avatar within the game,” Zadorojny said.
The preview began with the character creator, which was nicely diverse.
Options are gender-locked and a little limited, but there’s a variety of skin tones through colour sliders.
Facial hair options were minimal, but I did at least manage to sport a rather fetching moustache.
Another key element to the game is its approachability.
The UI is bright and clear, quests are clearly labelled, and character movesets and rotations are intuitive.
Adding to that approachability is the fact Blue Protocol will be free-to-play.
Zadorojny assured me that players will only pay for cosmetics.
“Our motto is fair and fun.
But it doesn’t take anything away from me for not purchasing.
Monetisation will come in three forms.
Cosmetics you already own can be converted into a secondary currency with a unique shop for purchasing new items.
People want to play an anime game, we get that.
And so we do really respect that.”
Lost Ark, for instance, receivedcriticism for its female representationthrough gender-locked classes and skimpy armour sets.
Amazon is learning from this for Blue Protocol.
“But for some things, we have to be protective of children.
How can we double-check we’re supporting the development team as best we can?”
Some players in Japan who have already played Blue Protocol have noted a lack of endgame content.
On top of this are a season pass and seasonal events to keep players engaged.
Still, the publisher has struggled with the longevity of its games.
After an initially huge spike of interest, both Lost Ark and New World have seen their audiences diminish.
Could Blue Protocol finally break that mould?
Zadorojny isn’t too worried about that here.
Those are going to be big moments players are going to come back for.
