Ravensburger release new jigsaw puzzle

Friday, 24 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Ravensburger have released a new Doctor Who puzzle this month in the lead-up to the return of the series on-screen. The 1000 piece "Collector's Edition" puzzle shows monsters from both the past and present, and measures 70x50cm.

Based on the iconic BBC television series Doctor Who, the new puzzle depicts some of show’s most infamous characters including the Doctor’s most fearsome enemies such as the Daleks, Weeping Angels and one of the most frightening ever The Silence. The designs show over 20 characters within a space setting, ensuring plenty of puzzling fun as fans assemble the scene!

Eagle-eyed readers will recognise the puzzle image as an extension of the 'monster' artwork released by Tea-Lady Design earlier this week!

FILTER: - Merchandise - Games - WHO50

Doctor Who Monopoly: 50th Anniversary Edition

Tuesday, 7 August 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Winning Moves are to celebrate the impending 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who with the release of a special edition of the popular board game Monopoly:

Celebrate 50 years of the world's favourite time lord with this very special edition of Monopoly! Featuring all eleven doctors, the best loved companions and of course, the monsters and baddies from across space and time, from the Brigadier and Captain Jack to Jo, Susan and Ace. Play with extra special Dr Who tokens, including the Dr's scarf, designed just for this edition! It's an adventure like no other as you revisit 50 years of this amazing show!

The limited edition set is expected to retail from 28th August, and can be pre-ordered from online stores such as Forbidden Planet.

FILTER: - Merchandise - Games - WHO50

Eternity Clock delayed

Wednesday, 21 March 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Originally expected this month, the new game from BBC Worldwide, Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, has been delayed, with the game's official Twitter feed stating: "Finishing touches just being added to Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock with the release now set for April – believe us, it’s worth the wait!"

The release will initially be for the Sony PS3 and Sony PS Vita platforms, with a PC version due to be released at a later, currently unconfirmed date.

FILTER: - Games

Doctor Who: Worlds in Time officially launched

Monday, 12 March 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After a few months in preview, the "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time has now been officially launched.

Robert Nashak, Executive Vice President, BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, said:

Worlds in Time offers players a multitude of elements and opportunities to socialise - from introducing beloved characters and progressive storylines to presenting additional guild play, our goal is to become the largest Doctor Who community ever assembled, while also being an enjoyable experience for all players.

Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings Design Inc. who created the game, said:

I have been a fan of Doctor Who since I was a child, so developing this game with BBC Worldwide is a dream come true. Like the Doctor, we have our own mission, to provide Doctor Who fans an experience matched only by the wondrous TV series, and casual gamers a warm opportunity to discover the marvelous world for themselves. It's exciting to see the Doctor Who universe come to life in such a unique way.

The game is free to play online for players aged 13 and above (those between 13-15 need parental permission to participate), meeting the games terms and conditions. Those with electonic payment facilities (e.g. Paypal) may also purchase an optional "enhanced experience".

Doctor Who: Worlds in Time offers something for everyone, including an intriguing narrative for sci-fi followers and serious gamers and stimulating missions for game enthusiasts looking for a quick pick-up-and-play game. After preparing the TARDIS, players travel to various immersive worlds (including Ember, Mars and New New York) and work together to defend civilization against infamous villains (including the Weeping Angels, Cybermen, Daleks, Autons, Oods and Zygons) bent on creating chaos and destruction in the universe. Since the open preview launch in December 2011, the BBC and Three Rings have worked to make more Doctor Who environments available, as well as introduce additional virtual items and create deeply engaging communal features.

FILTER: - Online - Games

New Eternity Clock Trailer Released As Adventure Games End

Saturday, 25 February 2012 - Reported by John Bowman

A new trailer for the forthcoming PlayStation game Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock has been released by BBC Worldwide.

Players can look forward to the global release of the game next month on PS3 and PS Vita, via the PlayStation Network. The exact date of release has yet to be confirmed, as does the price. A PC version will be released soon after.

As well as being the first PS Vita game to use the cutting-edge Unreal Engine toolset, it will also boast two-player co-operative action and split-screen footage.

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock new teaser trailer, BBC Worldwide, via YouTube

However, fans of the Adventure Games series, which is free to download in the UK, will be disappointed to learn that the BBC has no plans for any more.

BBC spokeswoman Michelle Osborn told Doctor Who News:

As Doctor Who approaches its 50th anniversary, online content will focus on more ambitious and innovative filmed content than ever before to reflect the show's epic milestone.

Although there are no plans for more Adventure Games, over the next two years fans can expect fantastic fictional exclusives (eg, prequels), backstage content and buzz - plus clips and information about every episode of Doctor Who ever broadcast by the BBC.

There have been five Adventure Games in all since they started being released by the official website in June 2010: City of the Daleks, Blood of the Cybermen, TARDIS, Shadows of the Vashta Nerada, and The Gunpowder Plot.

The Adventure Games have had more than 3.7m downloads and are still available for free.

FILTER: - Games - BBC

The Eternity Clock

Wednesday, 18 January 2012 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The official Playstation Blog has detailed twelve of what they consider the biggest and exciting game releases for 2012, one of which is the forthcoming Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock:

As the longest-running science fiction TV show in the world, Doctor Who will materialise this year on PlayStation 3 in a thrilling adventure game. Featuring a mysterious being known as the Doctor, hostile aliens, Earth-shattering plots and time travel, who wouldn't want to play a Doctor Who game?

Take control of the Timelord and his feisty companion River Song on a journey through space and time where your actions in one era can influence events in another...

The BBC have released a screen shot from the game (as seen above) via their Facebook page, and an additional two images appeared via the game's official Twitter feed.

(via Twitter)

(with thanks to Vitas Varnas)

FILTER: - Doctor Who - Games

Worlds In Time: trailer/behind-the-scenes

Wednesday, 21 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

Doctor Who: Worlds in Time have now released a trailer and a behind-the-scenes video for the new multiplayer game that went into public preview yesterday afternoon:

Worlds in Time Trailer, via YouTube

Behind the scenes of Worlds in Time, via YouTube

FILTER: - Online - Games

Worlds in Time enters public preview

Tuesday, 20 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

After a period of invited testing as mentioned at the weekend, the "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time has now entered public beta with everybody invited to try out the game.

Doctor Who: Worlds in Time is designed for devotees of the show looking for a quick pick-up-and-play game, and life-long gamers and sci-fi enthusiasts seeking increased social engagement. Players choose among four races and endless possible character combinations to create their avatars. They can join together in missions identified by the mysterious Time Lord to defend civilization by undertaking interventions against infamous villains bent on creating chaos and destruction in the universe. Throughout the game, players will explore deep immersive worlds (e.g., Skaro, Messaline, The Library and New New York) featuring iconic monsters (e.g., Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels), delivering the authentic experience of being part of the Doctor Who realm.

The game is free to play, though players will be able to progress faster in the game by purchasing 'chronons' to assist with missions, equipment etc.

Robert Nashak, executive vice president, BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, said:

Our goal with Doctor Who: Worlds in Time is to expand engagement with the immensely popular Doctor Who brand and allow fans to deeply immerse themselves in that universe. The game’s multiple worlds, its varied, wonderful characters and monsters, and changing story arcs will appeal to both Doctor Who fans and casual gamers alike.

Daniel James, CEO of Three Rings Design, Inc., said:

As a huge Doctor Who fan, the chance to develop this game with BBC Worldwide was a dream opportunity. We’ve worked to provide Doctor Who fans an experience that matches the quality and imagination of the TV show, and a forum to introduce casual gamers to this remarkable world with an experience accessible to players of all levels.

To register for the game, visit the Worlds in Time website and select "Play".

(newslink: BBC Press Release)

FILTER: - Online - Games

Worlds in Time update

Saturday, 17 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

The Doctor Who "massively multiplayer online" (MMO) game Worlds in Time moves a stage closer with the platform having now been made open to invited users in order to test and give feedback upon the initial gameplay.

Having been "invited" to join the Doctor in the TARDIS, initial registration for the game enables players to select their character name and race, choosing from four different races, Human, Silurian, Cat-person and Tree-person. Character avatars can then be adjusted to suit player preference before the final registration page.

Please note that in order to proceed into the game itself, those participating in the trial must agree to the terms and conditions; in particular:

You acknowledge that you have "early access" to the game in an incomplete form. By proceeding, you agree to hold strictly confidential any information about the game until it becomes public.

(with thanks to Vitas Varnas)

FILTER: - Online - Games

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

Friday, 9 December 2011 - Reported by Chuck Foster

BBC Worldwide have announced the first in a new range of console games:

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will immerse gamers in the universe of Doctor Who, allowing them to take on the role of the Doctor and River Song as they travel across time and space to save the Earth. Gamers must learn to master the complexities of time travel with exceptional time based game play, changes made in one time will impact another creating multiple possibilities and challenging players to solve puzzles across the centuries.

The game will be released early next year, initially for Sony's Playstation 3 and Vita platforms and a PC version, and is being developed by Supermassive Games for BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment and Games, and is written in collaboration with BBC Wales.

Both Matt Smith and Alex Kingston have reprised their roles of the Doctor and River Song respectively for the brand new storyline, which is to be presented in high definition, using photo-real graphics, television quality scenes and motion capture to create in-game characters.

Robert Nashak, EVP of Digital Entertainment at BBC Worldwide said:

We're creating these new games for Playstation 3 and Vita with adaptations that will bring the wonder, adventure and madness of Doctor Who to each platform. Working with a top-tier UK development partner like Supermassive Games demonstrates BBC Worldwide's commitment to create world-class Doctor Who games for fans of the show and gamers alike.

There is also a dedicated Twitter feed, @DoctorWhoTEC, where more information will be announced as the release date approaches.