We've seen some great free-to-play games arrive on Xbox recently, but one that we definitely won't be seeing is Bandai Namco's action-RPG Blue Protocol, which has now officially been cancelled for release in the west.
In a statement today, the game's developers explained that a "difficult decision" had been made to end its service in January 2025 in Japan, which means it won't be getting a more expanded release. Here's a bit of the message to fans:
"We know there has been great anticipation for Blue Protocol since the first announcement of the game. We wanted to deliver an experience that is like stepping into the world of anime, and we have been challenging ourselves to create a world where each and every player can enjoy adventures as the main character of the anime. We have worked hard to prepare for the release; however, we have come to the conclusion that it will not be possible to provide a service that satisfies all of you."
Blue Protocol, which was planned to be published by Amazon Games in the west, would have seen you "become the hero of your very own anime adventure", supposedly featuring action-packed combat and deep customisation.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be, so we'll never end up playing this one on Xbox. The good news is that if you're looking for other free-to-play games on Xbox, we've got the likes of VALORANT, Predecessor and even Hamster Playground (!) that have all released over the past few weeks. In other words, there's plenty of choice!