Should Tencent Studios have just left Blue Protocol to rest in peace?

Around a year or so ago (time is meaningless these days), my dear, sweet, beloved Bandai shut down a little MMO called Blue Protocol in Japan. It was effectively Genshin Impact, but it never gained the same traction or playbase for a global release. As you may know, the license has since passed to Tencent Games, who are reviving it as Blue Protocol: Star Resonance.

It is a catchy name that usually pulls me, and the pre-registration has opened, but the more I think about it, the less excited I get. I almost think it wasn’t worth raising it from the grave because, from what I have seen, Star Resonance is not going to succeed. And having Tencent at the helm does not help.

To start with, this is an MMORPG you can play for free, which of course means monetization. And unfortunately, it seems to be heavy here. Looking around at what people who played it have said, such as this Reddit post, you can pay for what is effectively very strong equipment, which kills the grind. And MMORPGs revolve around the grind. You’re only going to stop playing sooner if you buy these.

More worrying about the monetization, however, is that the things you buy can be sold on the in-game market board. I do believe that some monetization can be a good thing. If you don’t have a lot of spare time but you want to play a certain game, then buying good equipment is very efficient in this specific scenario. Very important note, though, provided it does not touch the free-to-play aspects.

However, when you can then sell these high-end materials on the market board, you are ruining it for those who can’t afford to pay, or just don’t want to. Imagine you farm a rare drop to sell, only to see the market board is so saturated by those who paid for them that it is now worth 10 in-game currency. It is deflating.

Another big worry for me is that Tencent is involved. Now, as a very successful company, of course, they can do good things. Having said that, I draw your attention to Final Fantasy XIV Mobile over in China. They monetized the hell out of simple things that you could buy with Gil in the main game, like Glamour Prisms. These are what you use to make your own outfits, which everyone adores.

It just feels wrong that they weaponise what they know people love like this, and it makes me fear for Star Resonance as another MMO.

All of this would matter less if not for one thing; it just doesn’t look fun. You will of heard the Genshin Impact comparison so many times by now, but just honestly, yeah, it is. And Genshin was fun, for a time. Now it has been done to death, and Blue Protocol: Star Resonance doesn’t look like it is adding much to the formula.

Tencent is literally beating a dead horse to see what will drop out, and I don’t think much will.