Bless Unleashed is a new F2P Unreal Engine 4 MMORPG for Xbox One

Get ready for some surprising news, as we tell you all about Bless Unleashed, a new free-to-play MMORPG for Xbox One. Just announced by Bandai Namco Entertainment America and developed by Neowiz's Round 8 Studio, this MMORPG is built on the Unreal Engine 4 and created “with hardcore MMO gamers in mind.”

But first things first; Bless Unleashed isn't a port of Bless Online, the PC MMORPG currently available on Steam as a buy-to-play title (and losing players at an alarming rate). Bless Unleashed is supposed to be a new game built from the ground up for console and featuring a new story, new content, new everything, but we'll have to wait and see as there is no footage accompanying the press release. How Neowiz decided to build a new game from scratch for Xbox One while the original PC version was heavily criticized (and still is), despite alleged attempts at improving the game, is for you to figure out.

Anyway, Bless Unleashed is going to feature “deep combo-driven mechanics”, the mandatory PvE and PvP and an endless amount of content, all in a persistent open world with integrated PvP. Using the Unreal Engine 4 should help bring to life “one of the most stunning MMORPGs produced on a console platform.” Five classic fantasy classes will be available at launch, from the Mage to the Berserker.

“Bless Unleashed is a game that takes the gameplay depth and community of an MMORPG and sets itself apart to create a new console RPG experience featuring fast-paced combat and beautifully rendered graphics,” said In Joon Hwang, Sr. Director, Online Publishing at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “Every aspect, from the story to the combat, to the skill progression has been carefully crafted to portray a new console MMORPG experience.”

After all the hype and delusion surrounding Bless Online, we can't help but feel wary of Bless Unleashed. Or maybe Neowiz finally discovered all the right ingredients and decided to cook them exclusively for the Xbox One? What do you think?

Bless Unleashed will be released during the first half of 2019.