Blue Protocol: Star Resonance, the long-awaited anime MMORPG, has finally made its way to the western audience and is off to a strong start on Steam. With nearly 95,000 concurrent players at its peak, it has surpassed the player counts of games like Hollow Knight: Silksong, Marvel Rivals, and EA Sports FC 26.
Initially released in Japan, Blue Protocol faced several setbacks. In August 2024, the Japanese servers were shut down, and the western release was cancelled by Amazon Games. However, Tencent-funded developer Bokura picked up the project, renamed it to Star Resonance, and released it as a free-to-play game on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and mobile (iOS and Google) platforms in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania.
Despite its strong start, the reception from Steam users has been mixed. The game currently holds a Mixed rating, with players criticizing its lack of content, generic gameplay, and gacha mechanics. Some users have expressed their dissatisfaction with the abundance of currencies, gacha systems, and overloaded user interfaces that have become common in anime MMOs. On the other hand, some players appreciate its visuals and consider it worth trying for a free-to-play game.
When the game was cancelled in Japan, developers stated that they couldn't provide a service that satisfied all players. In 2023, before its Japanese release, a hands-on experience revealed that Blue Protocol was enjoyable but faced challenges in differentiating itself from its HoYoVerse competitors.
Blue Protocol's Star Resonance revival offers a second chance for the game, but whether it was worth the wait remains a question. If you're interested in trying the game, you can check out our guide on how to redeem codes in Blue Protocol.
.png?width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&enable=upscale&auto=webp)
