ManyGenshin Impactplayers, but also Japanese games fans in general, have been wondering about what happened toBlue Protocol,another anime stylized JRPG - we’ll be explaining the gameplay, release date details revealed so far aboutBlue Protocol, while taking a look at its similarities but most importantly its differences withGenshin Impact.
Blue ProtocolorGenshin Impact? - introduction
Blue Protocolwas first announced by Bandai Namco in June 2019, and is developed by an internal studio, Bandai Namco Online.Blue Protocolwas announced for PC in Japan, and already had multiple Alpha and Beta Tests. The last large-scale Beta Test was held in April 2020, and a very short experiment to test the Party Matching system was held in August 14, 2025. However,Blue Protocolhas no no release date yet.
Blue Protocolis also an online JRPG, with an action battle system. Moreover,Blue Protocolis an open-world RPG, clearly inspired from the work of Nintendo and Monolith Soft onZelda Breath of the Wildand theXenobladeseries. Which makesBlue Protocolquite similar toGenshin Impactin theory. However, both games are also completely different.
Theme song by L’arc en Ciel (July 06, 2025 Update)
Bandai Namco revealed on May 31 a sample of the opening anime forBlue Protocol, announcing popular Japanese band LâArcï½enï½Ciel is handling the theme song, titledMirai.
Blue Protocol- New gameplay, Heavy Smasher class, opening theme coming soon, Q&A (July 02, 2025 stream update)
Here are the details from the May 27, 2021Blue Protocolstream. As it was the first stream since October 2020, developers stressed outBlue Protocolwasn’t canceled or anything, it’s just taking time to be finished, and they don’t have a roadmap or release date to announce yet.
However, we’ll get more information soon, most notably the theme song and composer ofBlue Protocolwill be officially revealed by the end of May 2021, along an anime opening. A screenshot of the opening was shared:
Next, the developers went through more player feedback with a new Q&A, explaining some of the new gameplay changes they implemented for the game’s launch. In particular:
Next, at the 22:14 timestamp of the stream, we got to see new gameplay showing four of the classes, and how they each use Elemental powers differently. The Blast Archer class now also has buff and debuff skills.
Blue Protocol- Emotes, gestures, dances
UnlikeGenshin Impact,Blue Protocolhas several gestures, poses and dances you may do with your character. The May 27 stream revealed how we’ll be able to play Rock Paper Scissors with our characters. InBlue Protocol’s version of the game, the characters raise their hands so it’s easier to see who won.
Characters will be able to hold hands as well. The development team spent a lot of time on this feature to make it look natural even if each character’s height is very different. The characters will automatically switch hands depending on how you move. And if you match your speeds, you can walk together while holding hands. Six screenshots were shared:
Companion NPC
InBlue Protocol, you can take an NPC with you so they help you out in battle. The last stream revealed Jake as one of these NPCs. In this May 27 stream, Feste, the horned character who accompanies the protagonist in the main story, was also revealed to be a Companion NPC.
Fest is a long range fighter, who uses buffs and debuffs. Some gameplay with Fste was shown at the 54:22 timestamp of the stream:
Fifth Class inBlue Protocolat launch: Heavy Smasher
After teasing it in the previous stream, the May 27 stream revealed the new class that will be available inBlue Protocolat lanuch. The Heavy Smasher Class is a mix between tank and DPS, and fights with a huge wrecking ball. Heavy Smasher characters can launch the ball, or use the ball’s momentum to launch themselves.
Despite its name, the Heavy Smasher Class has the same movement speed as the other classes. Its attack speed is a bit slow, but it has a lot of super armor, so you won’t get interrupted. Overall, Heavy Smasher is a DPS class, with tank capabilities, and abilities to stun and delay enemies.
Gameplay for the Heavy Smasher class was shown starting the 57:23 timetamp of the stream, linked below:
Genshin Impactis mainly a single player experience, whileBlue Protocolfocuses on online co-op as an MMORPG
The biggest difference betweenBlue ProtocolandGenshin Impactis howGenshin Impactmainly focuses on a single player experience. InGenshin Impact, players can join another player’s world, or invite players into their own world to play in co-op. Most notably to farm bosses or materials together. However, there’s no decisive merit to doing so. Besides making things easier and simply hanging out with your friends. You’ll be spending most of your time exploring Teyvat, the world ofGenshin Impact, alone, like in a single player JRPG.
Meanwhile,Blue Protocolis an MMORPG, where all players are constantly evolving in same world. Though the game will be divided into servers called Channels.Blue Protocol is a classic online RPG, where running quests, dungeons, and raids with other players will constantly be more gratifying than playing solo.
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Protagonists and playable characters ofGenshin ImpactandBlue Protocol
Another major difference is how playable characters are handled. Again,Blue Protocolis a classic online RPG, and features a character creator.Blue Protocollets you create and customize your own characters, and freely switch between different classes:
Meanwhile,Genshin Impactis again more akin to a single player JRPG, where you play and follow the story of a single dedicated protagonist and main characters.
Moreover, the other big difference is howGenshin Impactuses a gacha system, where players spend Primogems, which is slowly earned in-game, or can be bought with real money, to randomly pull new characters.
English, global release date and platforms
Genshin Impactwas released worldwide by miHoYo on June 27, 2025, on PC, but also PS4 and mobile, and was announced on Switch. MeanwhileBlue Protocolhas yet to be released and was only announced for PC, only in Japan.
However, the developers ofBlue Protocolalready teased the game will be coming outside Japan, and job listings also pointed out to that direction.
Lastly, theBlue Protocoldevelopershave stressed out they will take all the time they need to finish the game, and will only announce a release date when it’s ready. It’s possibly another Beta Test will be held too.
Overall, those are the biggest differences between the two games and what you should keep in mind. This is a broad comparison, and to keep things short, I did not go into the finest details, like how the Equipment system works in each game.
At the end of the day, both games are shaping up to be quite different, and playing bothGenshin ImpactandBlue Protocoldefinitely seems like a viable solution. Personally speaking, this is what I’ll be doing if time permits. What do you think ofGenshin Impactso far, and are you looking forward toBlue Protocol? You can reach out to me directly onTwitter @A_iyane07.
