Bandai Namco is preparing to step into the MMORPG space with its upcoming game, Blue Protocol. While some might be fearful that the release of one game might see their favorite falter, that doesn’t have to be the case. The space is big enough to allow Final Fantasy XIV, World of Warcraft, New World, The Elder Scrolls Online, Lost Ark, and more to all have healthy communities.
That’s the sentiment FFXIV creative producer Naoki Yoshida offered in a recent Nico Nice livestream translated by the Blue Protocol Database.
🔴During a recent Nico Nico Livestream – Naoki Yoshida, the director & producer for FINAL FANTASY XIV, had some choice words in regard to BLUE PROTOCOL and what this means for the MMO genre.
🔽We've gone ahead and subtitled his words below:#BlueProtocol #ffxiv pic.twitter.com/2p6uYtqCy3
— The BLUE PROTOCOL Database (@BlueProtocolDB) January 28, 2023
“I don’t mean it in a condescending way, but I’m really looking forward to it,” began Yoshida in response to questions about the upcoming competitor. “Having many different games is when a genre starts to get lively.”
Yoshida said that several experienced developers from the FFXIV team actually ended up working on Blue Protocol. He also stated that having competition only makes FFXIV and the entire genre stronger.
“I mean, having only one of a genre, or just a few, is really not good,” he explained. “There has to be different games and different experiences. We may reconfirm why FFXIV is good. And then the same way, some people will say, ‘If there only was this and that functionality in FFXIV.’ Where we’ll also answer, ‘Yeah, we’re also feeling it. We’re doing it too.’ This will definitely happen.”
It also sounds like Yoshida is looking forward to Blizzard Entertainment’s Diablo IV. This makes sense, considering he previously said he’d drop everything to work on the game.
Blue Protocol does not have a firm release date yet, with a blanket release window of 2023. Bandai Namco is beginning to have more closed beta phases for the game this year, so hopefully the full launch will be sooner rather than later. Amazon Games will be helping out the release, publishing the title in North America. Blue Protocol will be available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
