Is Blue Protocol’s controversial monetization system really ‘fun and fair’? We ask Amazon Games

There's no topic more controversial than monetization when it comes to the world of live service and MMOs. The lifeblood of the business model, each developer must walk a careful line between profitability and greediness. The perception of over-pricing can be damaging to the reputation of a game, and any whiff of pay-to-win can turn users hostile in a moment.

For Blue Protocol, monetization concerns have been the first major controversy to mark the game in its run up to launch. Early testers on the Japanese beta were both troubled with high prices attached to the in-game cosmetic gacha, as well as the presence of powerful combat summons locked behind the paid battle pass and in-game currency. That second concern proved significant as these can be summoned and used during combat, potentially giving an edge to those willing to splash some cash now and in the future.

With the game's Western launch being handled in a collaboration between Amazon Games and Bandai Namco, I wanted to put these concerns to someone able to address them directly. That's why I sat with Mike Zadorojny, franchise lead for Blue Protocol at Amazon Games, during a preview session last month and did exactly that.

To start, I asked whether Zadorojny could provide details on microtransaction pricing for the Western release, and whether it was similar to the pricing on the Japanese beta. He was unwilling to share the pricing model, but pointed to the company's mantra for what it's trying to accomplish with monetizing its games.

"So, the first thing for us is 'fun and fair'," he explains. "That's the kind of the model that we're running with: if you purchase things and I don't, we should still be relatively comparable in terms of what our power is. You should not be able to beat a boss because you purchased something and I didn't.

"The way that we're hitting this is with a couple things. One, we're gonna be doing Founders Packs in the West. Very similiar to what we did with New World and Lost Ark. Cosmetics for fans who want to get in very early. The second is way is with a Season Pass like we have in Japan. So, you know, periodic free rewards with an optional paid version that provides more frequent rewards."

Zadorojny also pointed to a 'pity system' added to the cosmetic monetization model, a common practice in live service games with gacha-style microtransactions. However, Zadorojny was unable to provide 'pity system' rates during the interview, stating that information will be released "soon as we get closer to the closed beta".

It is worth noting here that in the time since this interview was conducted, the developers at Bandai Namco have released a statement addressing several concerns, including gacha drop rates. Basically, S-rank and B-rank drops are getting drop rate increases, with the super rare S-rank items rising from a 1.2% to 3% drop rate. The price, as far as we know, is the same, but the odds are better.

However, there's one additional concern from players from the Japanese beta: the battle pass rewards. Youtubers like Kanon pointed out that the Battle Pass Battle Imajinns (those combat summons we refered to earlier) that you get from maxing out the pass or via the BPP in-game currency have the potential to be very strong. As such, I wanted to ask if Amazon Games was willing to adjust these systems for the Western release.

"Gameplay balance is always something we want to keep an eye on. Again, going back to that mantra of fun and fair," states Zadorojny. "We want to make sure that what you're what you're getting from the paid versions are generally things that are cosmetic options, not necessarily power options. So [Blue Protocol] just launched, they're obviously still doing some updates and doing some work on their side, but that's the goal that we're trying to hit for the Westerners."

To this, I pointed out that there were rewards in the battle pass and the BPP system that do provide in-game power options. Zadorojny replied (following a roughly seven second pause): "Generally speaking, the goal that we're trying to hit is that it shouldn't be any bigger of a power differential than what you can get inside the game."

Blue Protocol is looking like a decent attempt at filling a hole in the MMORPG landscape right now, as we'll dive into with our preview coming soon. But for now, are your monetization fears calmed following Zadorojny's answers? Let us know!