back to article Next Dr Who game to leave Xboxers in the cold

The BBC is to release a new Doctor Who game next year, but if you're an Xbox owner you won't be able to enjoy it. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock will be released for the PlayStation 3, Sony's PS Vita handheld and PCs. The Corporation promises the game will feature "photo-real graphics, television quality scenes and highly …

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  1. Timmay

    Oh no.

    Devastated.

    1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Oh no.

      You do sound totally blown away.

  2. squilookle
    Meh

    Okay.... I'm curious as to the actual reasons, but it's not likely I would have bought it anyway. I generally steer clear of any game based on films/tv series as they have mostly been disappointing in my experience.

    The only exception I can think of was Episode 1 Racer for the N64...

    1. Chad H.
      Thumb Up

      Perhaps

      The worlds only example of a game that was better than the movie it was inspired from?

  3. Eddie Edwards
    Thumb Up

    Superb

    Shame Sony snuck in and got the exclusive, but hey, we can't expect the BBC to favour license payers over commercial interests. Glad for my PS3 :) Although all we've seen is a hastily-constructed promo video, and it takes longer than a year to add "photo-real graphics and television-quality scenes" especially if you're a minor developer. Maybe in 2014, or maybe it will suck just like every other Dr Who game has. I smell a low budget, even if Sony are involved. Still, staying hopeful ...

    1. Sean Baggaley 1
      WTF?

      BBC Worldwide != BBC

      BBC Worldwide gets precisely sod all from the TV License. It's the commercial arm of the BBC that deals with TV programme exports, DVD (and digital download) sales, advertising on its overseas satellite channels (yes, the BBC *does* do ads! Just not in the UK!), etc.

      Seriously. Look it up. It's effectively a commercial entity that just happens to live in the same building(s) as the publicly funded stuff. In fact, it's the revenues from BBC Worldwide—and the potential overseas sales—that have helped pay for programmes like Doctor Who and The Blue Planet. Without those additional revenue streams, the BBC would have a lot less money to play with.

      A fact not helped that only *part* of the TV License revenues actually go to the BBC to begin with. That rollout of broadband to the UK's rural extremities we've been reading about? TV License! The BBC actually get very little say in how that license's revenues are spent. This is why they have to go cap-in-hand to HM's Government every 10 years or so.

    2. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      Exclusive? So did you not notice that the game would be available for the PC?

  4. TRT Silver badge

    Well if the trailer was anything to go by... it's already included in iTunes - just hit the visualisation option.

    I mean, seriously. Is that supposed to sell the game?

  5. TheProf
    Go

    OooooooEeeeeeOoooooo

    Made me go all tingly inside.

    1. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: OooooooEeeeeeOoooooo

      Amen. Even if the game is crap, there's nothing like the theme tune to send a chill down the spine.

      1. Annihilator
        Meh

        Except

        The ridiculous thunderclaps they've inserted into the Matt Smith series, I now spin through the credits when watching it on catch-up.

  6. Steven Jack
    Unhappy

    Sad

    I love my xbox360 and I love doctor who, come on BBC I thought you were supposed to be platform agnostic!

    Well I'm not buying a PS3, just for this, so that's one less sale than they could have had!

    1. MJI Silver badge

      Supermassive are a PSN developer

      As above this is their main body of work.

      BTW Tumble is good

    2. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      "come on BBC I thought you were supposed to be platform agnostic!"

      This is a product licensed by BBC Worldwide, not a BBC product.

  7. DJ 2
    Thumb Down

    Well that gives me a reason to

    get out my big glowing di**o.. er Sonic Screwdriver.. er Move controler. or perhaps it will stay charging like it has been since sports demo got deleted.

  8. Steve Loughran
    Thumb Down

    last one sucked

    Someone got my child the last version, it was dire. I wouldn't imagine any xbox owners feeling sorry about missing out on this, given how many good games you can get for your money on that platform

    1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      The problem with Return to Earth was that it was clearly aimed at little kids, probably up to about 7 years old. The pre-publicity didn't even hint at this and what was even more curious was that it came with a 12+ age rating. My six year old loved it, anybody much older would have found it tedious and repetitive.

  9. jason 7
    Stop

    Will the game...

    ....be as much of a mess as the show is now?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      ...if it is, then it'll be brilliant

      since the show is far from the mess it was under RTD aqnd is actually highly enjoyable and coherent!

      Go back to your box sets of Dobbie Doctor, Jesus Doctor and Emo doctor with the farting aliens and cuddly fat aliens fighting giant mecha-cybermen!

  10. MJI Silver badge

    No Xbox - quite simple I think

    They are a mainly Playstation Network Developer, and also some PC games, it is now easier to get things onto PSN than the XBox shop.

    MS also put a lot of rules in place which may have stopped this happening. There is something about needing a publisher wich PSN doesn't.

    I don't think Sony have done anything to stop it beyond making it easier to get on PSN.

  11. tekHedd
    Pint

    Exclusives never last long...

    On the one hand, it will probably be out for other platforms after a few months.

    On the other hand, and I'm speaking as a PS3 owner and a fan of Doctor Who from, well, before the new First Season: The new Doctor Who s... *Yawn* Sorry about that... I'm just saying that I'm not as excited about the new Doctor Who series... *yawn*... Sorry, sorry again! Look, if it was a game based on the old, non-pop-BS series /and/ if it the first game had been great, I'd be excited. As it is, I'm not sure it's even important enough for me to even comment on. Oh what the heck. It's Friday.

    1. Grease Monkey Silver badge

      "On the one hand, it will probably be out for other platforms after a few months."

      No it won't. It hasn't happened with previous titles so it's unlikely it will happen with this.

  12. Figgus
    Joke

    "The BBC is to release a new Doctor Who game next year, but if you're an Xbox owner you won't be able to enjoy it."

    From the reviews of the previous release, the Sony owners won't enjoy it too much either.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    So does this mean...

    ...That XBox is the more serious game console after all? ;-)

  14. Francis Boyle Silver badge

    The Eternity Quest

    for a decent Doctor Who game.

  15. Grease Monkey Silver badge

    Curious bias in this headline don't you think?

    Read the story and you find that the game will be available on Sony devices and PCs (presumably Windows). So why does the headline single out the Xbox? Why no mention of Nintendo products? After all Nintendo had a true exclusive on the last commercial release and is is the best selling of the current crop of consoles and so has the largest user base. Could it be that the author wanted to stir up a little trouble, maybe upset a few Xbox owning Who fans?

    BBC Worldwide tend to sell the rights to do this sort of thing to whoever will pay and agree to the licensing terms. As such it's not Worldwide's decision which platforms the game will be released for and it's certainly nothing to do with the BBC. There's no reason why this or any other game should have to be released on every platform.

    Hey look! The downloadable adventure games (from the BBC this time, not Worldwide) are only available for Windows and OSX. Are the BBC deliberately giving the cold shoulder to console owners? No, it was probably just a simple case that developing these java games for any more platforms would not have been economically viable.

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