Bandai Namco announces Bless Unleashed, its first console MMO

Bandai Namco today announced Bless Unleashed, a free-to-play MMO for Xbox One that will be the publisher’s first for a console.

Launching in 2019, Bless Unleashed was billed as “an untamed world with a rich backstory created with hardcore MMO gamers in mind,” according to a statement by Bandai Namco. The game is being developed by Round 8 Studio of Neowiz, the South Korea-based makers of Bless Online. That MMO launched in early access on Steam back in May.

Bandai Namco’s statement said Bless Unleashed will be developed with Unreal Engine 4. The game will feature five character classes for players to develop, combat will involve combo-driven mechanisms, and cooperative and competitive (PvP) multiplayer will be featured. Player characters will interact with deities and mythical beasts on their adventures.

“Every aspect, from the story to the combat, to the skill progression has been carefully crafted to portray a new console MMORPG experience,” In Joon Hwang, Bandai Namco America’s senior director for online publishing, said in the statement.

Grid View

• The archer class in Bless Unleashed. Neowiz/Bandai Namco
• The guardian class takes on a dragon in Bless Unleashed. Neowiz/Bandai Namco
• A dragon in Bless Unleashed. Neowiz/Bandai Namco
• The mage class in Bless Unleashed. Neowiz/Bandai Namco