Amazon Games has partnered with the Japanese developer Bandai Namco to publish its online fantasy game Blue Protocol outside of Japan in 2023.
The collaboration was announced during the 2023 Game Awards ceremony, livestreamed from the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday evening.
In-game, you’re an adventurer who’s traveled to an unknown world in an attempt to find a way to save the planet Regnas from its imminent destruction. Players can pick one of five character classes, with extensive customization options, and either play alone or in groups with a real-time, combo-based combat system.
Blue Protocol is planned for release in Japan in the spring of 2023, with a network test on Jan. 14-16. Amazon will take over localization and publishing duties for the title in North America, Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. In all locations, Blue Protocol will be free to play on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
“Bandai Namco Online has created a world of the highest quality with a compelling story that will build community and immerse players in an action-packed adventure,” wrote Christoph Hartmann, Amazon Games VP, in an official press release.
“As anime continues to rise in popularity globally, we look forward to bringing Blue Protocol to players in the West next year.”
This year’s Game Awards ceremony was relatively short compared to 2021’s, and featured the typical rapid-fire delivery of multiple big new game announcements, with occasional pauses to give out an award.
Other Pacific Northwest news out of this year’s Game Awards included:
- The Vancouver, B.C.-based team behind the 2018 indie hit Celeste reincorporated in 2019 as Extremely OK Games. Its next project, a “Metroidvania” called Earthblade, made its public debut at the GAs with a short trailer and a release date of 2024.
- Ken and Roberta Williams’s Colossal Cave 3D has an official release date: Jan. 19.
- Seattle’s Polyarc Games won Best VR/AR Game for its latest game, the VR adventure Moss: Book II.
- The Nintendo exclusive Bayonetta 3 took the Game Award for Best Action Game.
- The Bayonetta developers also announced a prequel, planned to debut on March 17, called Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, which is a top-down, water-colored action-RPG set during Bayonetta’s childhood. Like Bayonetta 3, Origins appears to be a Switch exclusive.
- Nintendo also collected Game Awards for Most Anticipated Game (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom), Best Family Game (Kirby and the Forgotten Land), and Best Multiplayer (Splatoon 3). Nintendo of America’s Doug Bowser was on hand to accept the awards on the company’s behalf.
- Microsoft’s interactive adventure As Dusk Falls took the Games for Impact award, which is given to releases that “deal with important social issues.”
