Doctor Who MMO? FanTAStic!

The Doctor is going Virtual.

I’m a relative latecomer to Doctor Who fandom (joining the throng during the Eccelston reboot of the franchise), but that didn’t prevent a girlish five-year-old’s squeal of glee when I read about BBC Worldwide’s announcement that they’ve teamed up with Three Rings (the steampunk-submarine-dwelling crew behind the charming Puzzle Pirates and horribly wonderful Corpse Craft) to create the first MMO set in the Who-niverse: Doctor Who: Worlds In Time.

BBC Worldwide has said that the game (launch expected this year) will allow players to “use their wits to solve time-bending puzzles and pulse-pounding challenges.” Although it doesn’t sound as though you’ll be able to make up your own version of the Doctor, at least you can ride in the TARDIS and save the universe several times a week, so that’s something.

The game will be free to play and (based on the models used by Three Ring’s other creations) probably make use of a micro-transaction model, but other than those facts (and guesses), there’s been no mention gameplay details. Dedicated fans can try to corner members of either Three Rings or BBC Worldwide at next week’s Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco — if you do, send me some more info!