Destiny of the Doctors


programme, so getting deals through to big publishers is a real challenge. Ideally, to build the franchise it needs the support of a big US channel and some consistency in broadcast frequency. Retaining audiences is tough, and it’s made tougher when you have some years with a full season, some years with a few specials and some years with no Doctor Who at all.


What do you think are the core things to consider about The Doctor and his friends when creating a video game? Nick Holden: Oppositional games will face an issue with balancing the ability of the player with the player’s opponent. It’s hard to play as a Time Lord unless everyone else also has Time Lord levels of power. Also, Doctor Who presents problems which


are, essentially, solved by The Doctor through a series of conversations with his companions. If the TV series has ‘mechanics’ they are the conversations that The Doctor uses to figure out


Sean Millard: The Doctor’s a difficult character to build gameplay around if you’re remaining true to the brand values. Conflict is resolved through discussion and reason, there is a skeleton key in the Sonic Screwdriver, and the dialogue – which makes the franchise so special and unique – is difficult to convey with the same meaning and intensity in a game. It can easily get in the way of the gameplay, so it’s necessary to draw it back a bit, which means it can lose a bit of its humour and intensity. This is all compounded by the desire to make Doctor


Who action-games, rather than more cerebral challenges, which might suit the character and universe better.


Christopher Dring: I would argue that Star Trek isn’t exactly the world’s biggest games IP, either, but, to put it simply, it needs to grow globally. Doctor Who is a huge brand in the UK, and it has grown quite a bit in the US, but it’s not exactly a mega franchise. It’s been living off of BBC special effects budgets, in an age where movie- sized TV productions based on Star Wars and Lord of the Rings have been taking place. What I think it needs is for the BBC to sign a big international partner, maybe someone like Disney … and to cast a cool, sexy, young and talented lead actor in the title role. Like maybe that chap from Sex Education on Netflix. That should do it.


Peter Hickman: I agree that it really needs to have a larger global mainstream audience. The show is still perceived by non-fans as a very niche British


46 | MCV/DEVELOP October/November 2023 the way to fix the problem he’s wrestling with.


Richie Turner: The Doctor has never used violence to solve problems, always looking for a peaceful solution, and that rules out many of the standard video game staples such as shooting … although we managed to get away with it! Some of the best Doctor Who games focus more on exploration and problem solving.


Sean Millard: The previously mentioned Sonic Screwdriver, and not just having the assistant as someone who is escorted or waiting for the Doctor to complete their task. They need valuable gameplay goals of their own – but equally, you don’t want to divide the gameplay too abrasively. It’s a delicate balance. Lastly, there is a very unique tone to Doctor Who’s


storytelling. With The Adventure Games we were blessed to have Phil Ford involved in the scripts and to work really closely with the TV production team to help guide us on the narrative and how to have it meet the gameplay demands we required. It was a really interesting process.


Peter Hickman: The Doctor is a multi-faceted character, and each regeneration brings their own strengths and weaknesses, so make sure any game idea makes best use of that regeneration. The story is not just about The Doctor, but also the companions. Since Russell T Davies rebooted the show, they’ve definitely played a more active role in the stories.


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