Doctor Who Virtual Reality Experience Launches InternationallyBookmark and Share

Wednesday, 15 January 2020 - Reported by Marcus
The Runaway (Credit: BBC's digital drama - BBC VR Hub - Passion Animation Studios) This Thursday will see the international launch of the BBC’s acclaimed virtual reality experience Doctor Who: The Runaway.

Doctor Who fans around the world will be able to download and enjoy the immersive VR special including a 360 version available on the Doctor Who YouTube channel.

The VR experience stars Jodie Whittaker voicing an animated version of the Thirteenth Doctor. The viewer crash lands in the TARDIS and is quickly recruited by the Doctor to help return a strange and potentially dangerous creature called Volta to its home planet.

Where previously the experience has only been available to view on VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear VR, the YouTube 360 version enables anyone with an entry-level VR headset like a Google Cardboard to step into the TARDIS and try out the adventure for themselves.

The international launch will also enable the show’s fans around the world to team up with the Doctor in virtual reality. Until now, The Runaway has only been available in the UK, but is now available globally for free on the Steam store for the first time, is launching on the Oculus and Viveport stores internationally, and globally on the BBC VR app for the Oculus Go and Samsung Gear VR.

Doctor Who: The Runaway features new original music from series composer Segun Akinola, and is directed by Mathias Chelebourg, whose previous work in virtual reality includes Alice, the Virtual Reality Play and The Real Thing VR. The script was an original story written by Victoria Asare-Archer, and is being published today on the BBC Writersroom blog.

Doctor Who: The Runaway has been produced by the BBC’s digital drama team, BBC VR Hub and Passion Animation Studios. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and has since been shown at the Sandbox Immersive Festival in China and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, among many others. The BBC VR Hub has also taken it on an extensive tour of UK libraries, enabling people without VR headsets to try it in their local library.

The Runaway (Credit: BBC's digital drama - BBC VR Hub - Passion Animation Studios)The Runaway (Credit: BBC's digital drama - BBC VR Hub - Passion Animation Studios)The Runaway (Credit: BBC's digital drama - BBC VR Hub - Passion Animation Studios)




FILTER: - Games - Thirteenth Doctor

Doctor Who Time Fracture: An Immersive AdventureBookmark and Share

Monday, 9 December 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Time Fracture (Credit: BBC Studios)A new immersive adventure, Doctor Who Time Fracture, in in development by the BBC and will be launched in late 2020 in London.

The show, developed by BBC Studios and Immersive Everywhere, will give fans a chance to experience the Doctor’s adventures.

From the team behind The Great Gatsby, the UK’s longest-running immersive show, Doctor Who Time Fracture will premiere in late 2020 at a London location to be announced.

This immersive adventure promises to put you at the heart of the story, plunged into a journey across space and time. Featuring amazingly realised worlds - the universe as we know it is at stake. Audiences will discover a great challenge lies ahead and that it’s time to be a hero, step up, and save the planet!

Audiences can purchase Gallifreyan Coin tokens prior to general on-sale. Each token purchased equates to one ticket and will provide priority access to book for the date and time of your preferred performance when announced in February 2020.

You will receive a code for each token purchased which can then be redeemed for your ticket(s), as well as an exclusive pin badge given to you at the venue on the date of your chosen performance.

Tokens are available online




FILTER: - Fracture - Games

New Doctor Who Infinity game LaunchedBookmark and Share

Saturday, 30 November 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who Infinity (Credit: Tiny Repel Games)Doctor Who Infinity, the follow up to the Doctor Who: Legacy video game by Tiny Rebel Games, which soft-launched in late 2018, has gone live as a full, 5- story release for mobile devices, PC, and Mac.

The game brings the world of the Doctor to life with brand new, stand-alone, comic-book style interactive audio adventures. Players can now delve into all five episodes including The Silent Streets of Barry Island, The Horror of Flat Holm, The Dalek Invasion of Time, The Orphans of the Poloypotra, and The Lady of the Lake

. Each of the stories in Doctor Who Infinity was created as a collaboration between Tiny Rebel Games and Seed Studio; they include a roster of primarily Wales-based artists and writers and each features narration and dialogue from well-known British actors.

Doctor Who Infinity episodes include:
  • The Horror of Flat Holm: One of the new stories, this was written by the multi-talented Mike Collins, drawn by Patrick Goddard, and colored by John-Paul Bove. It is an epic U.N.I.T. Cyberman story told in several time periods with the Fourth Doctor joined by Captain Mike Yates (voiced by Richard Franklin) and with modern day Osgood (voiced by Ingrid Oliver) and Kate Stewart. The cast will be joined by a Cyberman (voiced by Nick Briggs).
  • The Silent Streets of Barry Island: Another new adventure, this was written by Jacqueline Rayner, drawn by Emma Vieceli and colored by Kris Carter. It features the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams in mods-n-rockers era Barry Island. It's a summertime love story in an unseasonably snowy Barry Island which is plagued by mysterious, gruesome deaths and disappearances. They've arrived for a planned holiday but quickly have to ditch the beach gear and blend in with the locals. Their guide is Ted, a down-on-his-luck fish ‘n’ chip shop owner, voiced by Steffan Rhodri. Look for a startling reveal for Doctor Who fans!
  • The Dalek Invasion of Time: The first story to be released was written by George Mann, the critically-acclaimed author and screenwriter, including many Doctor Who stories; drawn by acclaimed artist and writer Mike Collins, known worldwide for his history of work with Doctor Who and other major comic properties; and colored by Kris Carter, who has a long history of working on brands such as Doctor Who, Torchwood and Shrek, among many others. The game is narrated by actors Michelle Gomez, who reprises her TV series role as Missy; Ingrid Oliver, who reprises her TV series role as Osgood; and Bella Ramsey, who voices new villain Freya in the game.
  • The Orphans of the Polyoptra: This adventure was written by Gary Russell, which he has stated is his final Doctor Who story. He is well-known as a writer of Doctor Who novels producer and writer of Doctor Who audio dramas for Big Finish productions, formerly a Script Editor for Doctor Who, Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood and was formerly Editor of Doctor Who Magazine. The game’s art has been drawn by David Roach, noted inker of comic strips for Doctor Who Magazine; and also colored by Dylan Teague. The story is narrated by actor Katy Manning, who returns as Jo Grant, her role from the Doctor Who TV series, and also voices the enemy.
  • The Lady of the Lake: This story was written by Scott Handcock, author of many Doctor Who audio dramas and short stories; drawn by Neil Edwards, noted comic book artist whose work includes Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, Titan Comics and many others; and colored by John-Paul Bove, known for his colorist work on G.I. Joe, Doctor Who, Transformers; and Dylan Teague, known for his work as a comics artist and colorist for Doctor Who Magazine, DC Comics. The story is being narrated by Celyn Jones as Geraint, a critically acclaimed and award-winning actor and screenwriter, who is known for films such as Set Fire to the Stars and Submergence and the TV series Joe. Other voices featured include Katy Manning as Delyth and Marilyn Le Conte as the eponymous “Lady of the Lake”.
Doctor Who Infinity is being published and developed by Tiny Rebel Games in collaboration with Seed Studio, and is under official license from BBC Studios. The new game was funded as a joint effort between the Welsh Government’s Media Investment Budget and British game publisher/developer Double Eleven Limited.




FILTER: - Games

The Edge or Time - ReleasedBookmark and Share

Monday, 11 November 2019 - Reported by Marcus
Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time, the feature-length Doctor Who VR videogame, launches worldwide on November 12th

Publisher PlayStack and Developer Maze Theory are have released the Launch Trailer for  the game, which Is available for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and HTC Vive Cosmos, with  Oculus Quest coming later this year.

Players will visit Victorian London, escape from a space-stranded cruiser and explore an Egyptian temple as they operate the TARDIS across the Doctor Who universe, under guidance from The Doctor herself, played by Jodie Whittaker. 

 Crafted with countless references to the show and its 55-year history, Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time combines action, horror and sci-fi, equipping players with the Sonic Screwdriver to solve mind-bending puzzles, escape treacherous environments and come face-to-face with classic Doctor Who monsters, all within virtual reality for the first time ever. Escape from Weeping Angels, face off against brand-new monsters and pilot a Dalek shell to harness its’ fearsome weaponry in a thrilling and immersive single-player adventure!

Features
  • Become Part Of Doctor Who - a thrilling single-player adventure developed by Sony London alumni (VR Worlds, The London Heist, Blood and Truth), Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time  will immerse players in Doctor Who like never before as they travel across space and time to save reality. 
  • Wield The Sonic Screwdriver - With exhilarating moment-to-moment gameplay, wield the Sonic Screwdriver to solve fiendish puzzles and traverse a dangerous universe full of challenges, enemies and wonder.
  • Stunning Cinematic Visuals - From the Dalekanium of a Dalek’s shell, to the stone-cold terror of a Weeping Angel, experience stunning visuals that bring the show to life!  
  • Doctor Who Talent - Featuring Jodie Whittaker as the voice of The Doctor and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks, in a story written by Gavin Collinson - Digital Producer for Doctor Who and author
  • Oculus Quest Support - experience the next level of immersion with Oculus Quest, as you explore the Doctor Who universe without boundaries in untethered virtual reality






FILTER: - Games - Jodie Whittaker

Doctor Who: The Edge of TimeBookmark and Share

Tuesday, 22 October 2019 - Reported by Marcus
The Edge of Time (Credit: PlayStack / Developer Maze /BBC Studios)A new feature-length VR videogame, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, will launch on November 12th 2019.

Publisher PlayStack and Developer Maze Theory have today released the new artwork for the game which will feature multiple references to the series and its 56-year history.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time combines action, adventure and sci-fi, equipping players with the Sonic Screwdriver to solve mind-bending puzzles, escape treacherous environments and come face-to-face with classic Doctor Who monsters, all within virtual reality.

Escape from Weeping Angels, face off against brand-new creatures and pilot a Dalek shell to harness its fearsome weaponry in a thrilling and immersive single-player adventure.

To receive the latest updates, visit Stream and add the game to your wishlist.

Features include:
  • Become part of Doctor Who - a thrilling single-player adventure developed by Sony London alumni (VR Worlds, The London Heist, Blood and Truth), Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time will immerse players in Doctor Who like never before as they travel across space and time to save reality.
  • Wield the Sonic Screwdriver - with exhilarating moment-to-moment gameplay, wield the Sonic Screwdriver to solve fiendish puzzles and traverse a dangerous universe full of challenges, enemies and wonder.
  • Stunning cinematic visuals - from the Dalekanium of a Dalek’s shell to the stone-cold terror of a Weeping Angel, experience stunning visuals that bring the show to life!
  • Doctor Who talent - featuring Jodie Whittaker as the voice of the Doctor and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks, in a story written by Gavin Collinson, Digital Producer for Doctor Who and author
  • Oculus Quest support - experience the next level of immersion with Oculus Quest, as you explore the Doctor Who universe without boundaries in untethered virtual reality
  • Developed by immersive entertainment studio Maze Theory, led by former Activision and PlayStation veterans, Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time will launch on November 12th 2019 for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and HTC Vive Cosmos.
For more on Doctor Who: The Edge of Time follow.

Official Website / Twitter - Follow the hashtag #edgeoftime / YouTube / Maze Theory Official Website

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a Maze Theory production for BBC Studios




FILTER: - Games

Step into the Doctor's TARDIS with the new VIVE CosmosBookmark and Share

Friday, 13 September 2019 - Reported by Marcus
VIVE CosmosHTC has teamed up with BBC Studios to offer the chance to embark on a virtual reality adventure through time and space, with Doctor Who.

On Friday 26th and Saturday 27th September, visitors at Hackney’s Protein Studios in London, will have the chance to step into the TARDIS and take up the role of the Doctor’s assistant in Doctor Who: The Edge of Time.

HTC is celebrating the launch of the VIVE Cosmos, its latest premium PC-based Virtual Reality (VR) system. Attendees will be amongst the first to try ‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’, produced by Maze Theory for BBC Studios. After stepping into the TARDIS, players will interact with the Doctor themselves and will try to pilot the spacecraft – which is temperamental at the best of times – before embarking on an epic adventure to solve the mystery behind the ‘Reality Virus’.

During the event, visitors will use HTC’s newly released VR headset, the VIVE Cosmos, which is built to be the highest performance and most versatile headset on the market.

Fans can sign up for a free 15-minute slot here or simply turn up on the day to secure a walk-in slot (subject to availability).

Please note, players must be aged 12+.




FILTER: - Games - Special Events

Cybermen Launch Escape GameBookmark and Share

Thursday, 6 December 2018 - Reported by Marcus
To the surprise of many shoppers, Cybermen were spotted in two major cities in the UK today, to mark tickets going on sale for Worlds Collide, the first official Doctor Who live escape game.

One of the Time Lord’s oldest enemies, which feature in the new game, commandeered a barge on the canal at Gas Street Basin in Birmingham. Next, they were seen threatening to ‘upgrade’ unsuspecting Christmas shoppers outside the iconic Birmingham Bullring shopping centre, before travelling up through the UK, heading straight for Leeds City Centre, frightening local commuters in the process.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting details of the BBC Studios and Escape Hunt Doctor Who-themed live escape game, which will be playable at Escape Hunt venues across the country from early 2019.

Teams of up to six become the Doctor’s new friends and are transported into the future, to the offices of ChronosCorp HQ, where eccentric billionaire Alastair Montague’s efforts to develop commercial time travel have caused a tear in the fabric of space and time, a tear which the Cyberman will use to attack Earth!

The players are then given 60 minutes to work out how to close the tear before the Cybermen break through, using only what remains of Montague, his prototype time engine and the extensive collection of time-related artefacts acquired over the course of his experiments. The fate of the universe rests in their hands – if they take too long the human race will be ‘upgraded’.

From today, fans can book tickets for the immersive adventure, which will be arriving at Escape Hunt locations on the following dates:
  • Bristol – 16/01/2019
  • Leeds – 25/01/2019
  • Oxford – 08/02/2019
  • Manchester – 22/02/2019
  • Reading – 08/03/2019
  • Birmingham – 22/03/2019
Richard Harpham, CEO Escape Hunt plc, says
We are thrilled that tickets are now on sale and fans can start booking to be the first to play the game in January. We are extremely proud of Worlds Collide and look forward to giving fans a unique Doctor Who escape game experience.
Mat Way, Global Director, Live Entertainment at BBC Studios, says
We’re very excited to be revealing details of the very first official Doctor Who escape game in collaboration with Escape Hunt. We used to hide behind the sofa when the Cybermen appeared on TV, it’s amazing that fans will soon be able to encounter them face to face.
Tickets for Doctor Who: The Live Escape Game, Worlds Collide are now on sale and are bookable via Escapehunt.com

Cybermen in Birmingham




FILTER: - Games

Worlds Collide - Ticket date AnnouncedBookmark and Share

Monday, 3 December 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Escape HuntBBC Studios and Escape Hunt have announced the on-sale date of tickets for the upcoming Doctor Who live escape game, Worlds Collide.

From 6th December, fans can buy tickets to be one of the first to try out the hotly-anticipated game which will be arriving in cities across the UK at Escape Hunt locations from early 2019.

Escape Hunt is a global provider of live ‘escape the room’ experiences. Since opening in 2013, Escape Hunt has expanded rapidly, opening nearly 50 locations across 27 countries around the world. Escape Hunting involves 60 minutes of excitement, during which groups of teammates lose themselves in immersive experiences, created by the Escape Hunt Studios team. Groups must work together to follow a series of clever clues and escape a locked room before their time is up.

The Doctor Who game, Worlds Collide will be opening in Escape Hunt locations in early 2019:
  • Bristol – ‪16/01/2019‬
  • Leeds – ‪25/01/2019‬
  • Oxford – ‪08/02/2019‬
  • Manchester – ‪22/02/2019‬
  • Reading – ‪08/03/2019‬
  • Birmingham – ‪22/03/2019‬
Richard Harpham, CEO Escape Hunt PLC, says
It’s the day that the Doctor Who community have been counting down to and we’re incredibly excited to be one step closer to the opening of Worlds Collide. We’re incredibly proud of the game and can’t wait to welcome fans in to try and crack it!
Doctor Who – Worlds Collide will be on-sale from Thursday, 6th December at midday Please visit the website for more information.




FILTER: - Games

Doctor Who - Live Escape Game - Worlds CollideBookmark and Share

Thursday, 25 October 2018 - Reported by Marcus
Worlds Collide (Credit: Escape Hunt / BBC Studios)BBC Studios and Escape Hunt have today revealed the official name of the forthcoming Doctor Who – The Live Escape Game, will be called Worlds Collide.

To celebrate the news, visitors to London’s Comic-Con, being held this weekend, will be able to test themselves against the clock with a world first taster experience of the new game on the official BBC Studios stand at ExCeL London. The ‘Worlds Collide Escape Cube’ is designed as a fun prequel to the escape room game launching later this year.

Fans can also enter an Escape Hunt competition to become one of the first in the UK to experience the full game at their nearest venue with up to five friends. To enter, fans must simply like a picture of the ‘Worlds Collide Escape Cube’ taster experience at Comic-Con on Escape Hunt UK’s Facebook page (T&Cs apply).

Richard Harpham, CEO Escape Hunt PLC, says
At Escape Hunt, we’re incredibly excited to be working with BBC Studios to create Doctor Who – The Live Escape Game. Comic Con is one of the biggest events in the Doctor Who calendar and with the series having such a dedicated fan base from all over the UK, being able to give these fans the first taster experience of Worlds Collide is a huge opportunity. We just hope they have as much fun trying to crack it as we’ve had creating it.
Doctor Who – The Live Escape Game will open in Escape Hunt venues around the country from early 2019. To register for news about tickets visit escapehunt.com

To enter the prize draw for the chance to win a free game in the Worlds Collide room, participants must simply like a picture of the ‘Worlds Collide Escape Cube’ at Comic-Con on the Escape Hunt UK Facebook page between the 26th October and 5th November. The winner will be notified on the 6th November. Full T&Cs here.




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Games

Time Vortex VRBookmark and Share

Thursday, 14 December 2017 - Reported by Marcus
Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)A new game has been released by the BBC. Doctor Who Time Vortex VR gives players the chance to pilot the TARDIS through the depths of the space-time vortex inside a virtual reality version of the show’s title sequence.

The game is a VR reboot of the successful Time Vortex 360 mobile game released earlier this year. As they speed through time, players will tackle hazards and obstacles emerging from the future ahead of them and will need to quickly react by physically turning around to evade threats from the past. As players progress through the game, they are transported into different time zones from past eras, from the current vortex to re-imagined designs from the 1960s and 1980s.

The game is available to play using cardboard headsets, Google Daydream, Samsung Gear VR and HTC Vive via your web browser. However, those without headsets can play the game with mobiles and tablets running newer versions of Android or iOS and the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari. A full list of all supported devices is available here.

To play, fans simply need to visit bbc.in/TimeVortexVR. Like the 360 game, the VR version is an endless runner, which gets more and more difficult the longer people play, taking them on a visually intense journey through the iconic vortex from the show's opening credits. Using the device's accelerometer, players control the game by physically moving around, even giving the player the ability to turn around and travel backwards in time.

Jo Pearce, Creative Director, BBC Digital Drama, said:
This game allows you to step inside one of the most iconic title sequences in TV history, as you pilot the TARDIS through modern, 80s and 60s versions of the vortex. Digital innovation is at the very heart of Doctor Who – and this new game combines casual, arcade-style gaming with virtual reality to create an unforgettable experience.

After releasing the 360 version of the game, we had lots of comments from players suggesting it would make a great VR experience. For this re-boot we wanted to offer a VR gaming experience that is as accessible as possible and test the limits of what is possible to develop using WebVR.
Developed for the BBC by Goodboy Digital, the game has been created using the WebVR API and combines cutting-edge HTML5 and WebGL using PixiJS v5.0 to create a breath-taking journey that works on a wide range of hardware.


Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)Time Vortex (Credit: BBC Worldwide)


TARDIS Time Vortex VR Game - Doctor Who




FILTER: - Doctor Who - Games