Category: Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time

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Oculus Quest Version of Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Coming December

One of the big pieces of virtual reality (VR) news yesterday came from Maze Theory, announcing that Doctor Who: The Edge of Time would see a multiplatform release in November, including Oculus Quest. Now the studio has stated this won’t be the case for the standalone headset, arriving a month later in fact.

While the videogame will still launch on 12th November 2019 for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and HTC Vive Cosmos, over on Twitter the studio responded to a tweet clarifying that it ‘will be on Quest almost exactly 1 month after that.’

Certainly disappointing for Oculus Quest owners who are also Doctor Who fans, at least it seems as though Maze Theory is spending more time on the portable version, most likely to optimise the experience in comparison to its PC and console brethren. Having slipped from its original September launch window the only concern is that due to the lack of an actual date the indie team may push the release back again for Quest.

Doctor Who is one of the BBC’s biggest IP’s having had a remarkable 55-year history. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time puts you inside the famous TARDIS, travelling across space and time as an assistant to the Doctor. With an original story written by Gavin Collinson, Digital Producer for Doctor Who, you’ll be able to wield the Sonic Screwdriver to thwart enemies and solve puzzles, going up against deadly foes like the Daleks and the Weeping Angels. In one section you’ll even be able to pilot a Dalek shell and use its weaponry.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

There will also be plenty of little nods to the TV series for long-time fans to look for, with the studio adding authentic music, props, sets, title sequence and other Doctor Who easter eggs. Naturally, current Doctor Jodie Whittaker will be voicing the character to keep the experience true to the series.

Maze Theory might be a small London-based team of VR developers – mostly veterans from Sony London Studio – but it has big ambitions. Alongside Doctor Who: The Edge of Time the team is also working on bringing another British TV series to VR, Peaky Blinders. For further updates from the team, keep reading VRFocus.

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‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’ to Land on VR Headsets in November

Initially targeting launch in September, upcoming VR game Doctor Who: The Edge of Time finally has a firm release date.

Developed by Maze Theory, a UK-based studio led by former Activision and PlayStation veterans, the fully interactive VR game is officially launching on November 12th via the PlayStation Store (PSVR), Steam (Vive, Rift), the Oculus Store (Rift, Quest), and Viveport (Cosmos, Rift, Vive).

Here’s how Maze Theory and publisher PlayStack describe it:

The Doctor has been hurled through time to the end of the universe. A virus that threatens to rip apart reality itself has been unleashed. Players can pilot the TARDIS on a journey across worlds both familiar and strange to recover a series of powerful time crystals that can repair spacetime and ultimately, save the universe itself.

Maze Theory reveals in a recent dev vlog that the VR game includes several sections inspired by genres such as adventure, puzzle, and horror, while putting heavy emphasis on object interaction, problem solving, and visual atmosphere.

The game also features the voice of the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks. Digital Producer for Doctor Who and author Gavin Collinson is behind the game’s story.

You can check out some gameplay in a video from the game’s public unveiling back at San Diego Comic-Con:

The post ‘Doctor Who: The Edge of Time’ to Land on VR Headsets in November appeared first on Road to VR.

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Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Appears to Have a November Launch Date

Having revealed Doctor Who: The Edge of Time back in the Spring, British developer Maze Theory originally planned on releasing the title in September. No details were given as to the delay but today Doctor Who fans will be happy to know a launch date is now confirmed, and it’s taking place next month.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

The feature-length virtual reality (VR) title published by PlayStack is designed for players who are either hardcore fans or completely new to the iconic sci-fi franchise. Containing multiple references to the series and its 55-year history, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time puts players in the role of the Doctor’s assistant, helping her save the universe in this single-player adventure.

Sonic Screwdriver in hand, players will travel across space and time to save reality, facing off against classic enemies like the Weeping Angels, brand new ones for this videogame, and even putting them inside a Dalek shell to pilot and utilise its fearsome weaponry.

Players will be able to take control of the brand new TARDIS as seen in the last series, solve mind-bending puzzles and try to escape treacherous environments. As an officially licensed BBC Studios product the videogame will feature authentic music, props, sets, title sequence and Doctor Who easter eggs for fans to enjoy.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

Maze Theory enlisted the help of Doctor Who veterans for the videogame with Jodie Whittaker continuing 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.

Supporting PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and HTC Vive Cosmos, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time will launch on 12th November 2019 via stores such as Steam.

This will be the second Doctor Who VR experience to arrive this year with the first being a more bite-sized interactive animation called Doctor Who: The Runaway by Passion Animation Studios. Debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival back in May, it’s available for free via Oculus Store for Oculus Rift/Rift S. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Maze Theory, reporting back with further VR updates and announcements.

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New Trailer Unveils More of Doctor Who: The Edge of Time

Virtual reality (VR) fans have already had one Doctor Who experience this year but that was a short interactive animation. The one sci-fi fans of the series are looking forward to is Doctor Who: Edge of Time coming from Maze Theory. Today, the studio has released a brand new trailer detailing new locations and gameplay.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

Playing the assistant of the famous Time Lord, you’ll naturally be visiting various periods in history and the new trailer shows that players will visit Victorian London, escape from a space-stranded cruiser and explore an Egyptian temple in the TARDIS, under guidance from the Doctor herself, voiced by Jodie Whittaker.

A single-player experience, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time will feature series favourites like the Daleks and the Weeping Angels whilst providing multiple references to the series and its 55-year history. From solving puzzles to taking on brand-new creatures, you’ll even pilot a Dalek shell to harness its fearsome weaponry.

Alongside the gameplay trailer, Maze Theory has also released its next Developer Diary, detailing the work that’s gone into Doctor Who: The Edge of Time whilst sharing their favourite moments from the videogame.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time has been slated for a September launch for a while but no longer seems to be the case. Currently, the title is now listed as launching later in 2019 for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and HTC Vive Cosmos.

For those in the UK who secured tickets, don’t forget about the Vive Cosmos event in London with Doctor Who: The Edge of Time being demoed. The event will take place at Hackney’s Protein Studios on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September with all public slots now gone.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, reporting back with a new launch window when that’s announced.

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Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time Has The Hokey Heart Of British Sci-Fi Intact

Doctor Who has a knack for reinvention or, more fittingly, regeneration.

I don’t just mean in the Doctor’s many changing faces but the way those changes come to shape its tone and feel. And then, on a more molecular level, its ability to shift from bombastic, silly sci-fi epics one week to legitimately terrifying ghost stories the next. At the heart of the show’s decades-spanning run, though, is one unifying link; it’s all a bit naff.

From shoddy BBC-budgeted CGI and egg-shaped aliens to startlingly contrived last-minute plot developments and technobabble; as good as Who gets it never escapes that endearing core. People love it because it isn’t Star Wars or Lord of the Rings; it’s the school adaptations of them your kids put on for the Christmas play. With the most warming of intentions, then, I say Edge of Time has that hokey heart intact.

That’s not to say this is low-rate. Far from it, in fact; Maze Theory’s upcoming VR adventure has dense forests to explore, intuitive (if pedestrian) puzzles to solve and a healthy helping of fan service. Stepping out of the Tardis, turning around and witnessing its physics-defying dimensions for yourself is a genuinely jaw-dropping moment. Quite rightly, though, there’s an embedded strain of second-rate Britishism about it.

It’s in the way Jodie Whittaker’s voice cheerfully pops up as you stalk the halls of a spaceship or, yes, the custard cream biscuit that ejects out of the Tardis console when you approach it. It’s the very DNA of Who; employing chalky British quirk to distract from whatever might be lacking elsewhere. In this case, it’s what gives the game’s surprisingly creepier moments a needed touch of safety. In the first level I see, red-eyed aliens scurry and scratch their way over fallen logs and around cliff corners, always just out of reach. They glare from afar in unnerving silence.

Doctor Who The Edge of Time

It would be enough to get me to take off the headset were I not aware of my context. The stifled screams and thudding heart rates employed in your standard VR horror game are swapped out for sound bites about how pesky these devilish creatures can be, and what a nuisance their haunting presence is. You quickly learn to shoulder that chipper camaraderie and push on through for yourself.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, there’s the spectacle. At one point I’m hurried down a corridor as a vacuum threatens to suck me out into space. At times, I stop to stare out at the infinite abyss. Paired with routinely grabbing my Sonic Screwdriver, I truly feel rooted right in the center of this sprawling universe.

There is a fear, though, that this is all a little too much of a sightseeing tour. There are buttons to push and Sonic Screwdivers to buzz, but much of Edge of Time’s interaction isn’t uniquely Whovian. In one challenge I’m rearranging wires to correspond to drawings in a wall. It’s fast, flexible and refreshingly doable, but it could have been lifted straight out of practically any other VR puzzler.

The same is true of a later brain teaser involving rotating lasers. You have to pull levers to line everything up properly. Again, it’s a perfectly palatable affair, it’s just been done elsewhere. In a universe as infinitely impossible as this, I’d hope for a bit more spark. Narratively, it seems all there; it’s the gameplay that still has to prove itself.

But I’m optimistic there’s some of that too. Edge of Time’s trailers have run the gamut of Who villains, including Daleks and those most memorable of foes, the Weeping Angels. I don’t need to tell you how much potential their ‘move when unseen’ hook has, no matter how terrifying it may be. There’s an original story and new monsters, but much of Edge of Time’s promise lies in delivering on fans’ biggest dreams. Edge of Time might live or die depending on what lengths it goes to to do that.

I’d expect, then, for this to shine in places and maybe lack in a few others (which, incidentally, also describes pretty much every season of the show). For Who fans, though, Edge of Time represents the first real chance to step into a world they’ve loved for nearly 60 years. If even just looking at the Tardis as intended for the first time brings a smile to your face, the rest of it might all be worth it.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is coming soon to PC VR, PSVR and Oculus Quest.

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Doctor Who: The Edge of Time Playable at London Vive Cosmos Event

Yesterday HTC Vive announced that its next headset, the Vive Cosmos is now available to pre-order ahead of its official launch in October. The help promote the device in the UK, HTC has teamed up with BBC Studios for an event where the public can get their hands-on Vive Cosmos and play Doctor Who: The Edge of Time.

Doctor Who: Edge of Time

The event will take place at Hackney’s Protein Studios on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September, giving fans of the series a chance to step into the famous Tardis. Produced by Maze Theory for BBC Studios, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time puts you in the role of the Doctor’s assistant, helping to pilot the temperamental spacecraft on an adventure to solve the mystery behind the ‘Reality Virus’.

Featuring iconic monsters from the TV programme including the Daleks and the Weeping Angels, players will also encounter new monsters as they battle to solve puzzles armed with the Sonic Screwdriver, all in a bid to save the universe. Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is slated for a September launch for PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and of course Vive Cosmos when it arrives.

Vive Cosmos will be the premium product offering from HTC Vive, retailing for £699 GBP/$699 USD. Scheduled to arrive on 3rd October, the headset boasts inside-out tracking thanks to six cameras, a combined resolution of 2880×1770 (1440×1700 per-eye), hinged front to easily drop in and out of VR and a removable front faceplate. When in place the vented front allows for air circulation plus it can also be changed for other mods, such as the External Tracking Mod to make it SteamVR tracking compatible.

Vive Cosmos

Full details for the event are as follows:

  • Dates: Friday 27th September between 10.30am – 7pm and Saturday 28th September 2019 10am – 4pm
  • How much: Free to attend
  • How: Members of the public can sign up for a slot on Ticket Source via https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/htcvive
  • Where: Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, Hackney, London EC2A 3EY
  • Nearest tube: 10 min walk from Old Street underground station or 5 min walk from Shoreditch High Street Overground station
  • Please note: Players must be aged 12+

VRFocus will continue its coverage of Vive Cosmos and Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, reporting back with the latest updates.

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Raindance 2019 Brings The Latest In VR Storytelling To London Next Month

The annual Raindance Film Festival approaches London once more. This year’s show will feature nearly 30 VR experiences.

As per usual, Raindance 2019’s immersive offerings include a mix of gaming, world premiere VR experiences and a chance to see some of the pieces first shown at festivals like Tribecca and Sundance. The selection includes both full VR pieces and 360 videos.

Rise of Animals

In terms of premieres, we’re looking forward to seeing Heart of Darkness, the latest animated experience from Sutu. There’s also Rise of Animals, a new experience with Sir David Attenborough. The experience will give us a virtual look at three prehistoric animals.

Elsewhere, we’ll get a first look at Anonymous, the VR film debut from Virtual Umbrella’s Samantha Kingston.

https://youtu.be/eniWsbgwqoQ

As for returning experiences, Gloomy Eyes, an animated VR story starring Colin Farrell, will be on display. Tupac Martir’s Cosmos Within Us will be at the show too.

Meanwhile, in the gaming section, Raindance will showcase the likes of No Man’s Sky Beyond and Maze Theory’s soon-too-release Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. Fast Travel Games’ The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets will also be on display. We’ll also see the international premiere of The Infinite Hotel, a promising new game from Italic Pig.

The best experiences are also being gathered for the Raindance Awards.

Raindance 2019 runs from September 25 to October 6. If you’re looking for tickets you can find them here.

Disclaimer: UploadVR’s Jamie Feltham will be a judge on the ‘Best Immersive Game’ category at this year’s Raindance Awards.

The post Raindance 2019 Brings The Latest In VR Storytelling To London Next Month appeared first on UploadVR.

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British VR Studio Maze Theory Expands Team for Doctor Who & Peaky Blinders Development

London, UK-based Maze Theory is currently working on two big virtual reality (VR) IP’s, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time which is due for release next month, and Peaky Blinders: The Kings Ransom which is coming out in 2020. To help with development, the studio has announced several new hires to massively expand its current team.

Maze Theory - New Staff
From left Russell Watson, Ciaran Devine, Victoria Goldsmith

Maze Theory has added six new staff to its employee roster, each with a strong videogame pedigree, some even in VR. Joining the team from Sony London Studio are Ciaran Devine and Victoria Goldsmith both of whom worked on PlayStation VR’s Blood & Truth. Devine joins as Lead Technical Artist, helping build and deliver major technologies, project infrastructure and production workflow. While Goldsmith joins Maze Theory as an Environment Artist, working on Doctor Who then leading the development of environments for Peaky Blinders.

Russell Watson joins from Splash Damage as a Technical Designer to work on the systems, tools and AI for Peaky Blinders. He has previously worked on Gears: Tactics, Touch Surgery, Strike Suit Zero, Fable 3 and The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest. Coming on as Lead Character Artist is Leroy Simpson, who has worked on AAA projects at Rockstar, Square Unix, Ubisoft and Lionhead, with Red Dead Redemption 2 is the most recent. Simpson will be leading character development on Peaky Blinders.

Claire Boissiere will serve as consultant Project Director for Maze Theory’s recent innovation grant, helping develop AI technology that will respond to the players’ gestures, sound and body language, which will form the core of the Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom experience. Also working on Peaky Blinders is Dave Fiala as Technical Animator, heading up the animation pipeline for the videogame. Fiala’s previous work includes Batman: Arkham, SpecOps: The Line and Dirty Bomb.

Peaky Blinders
Image Credit: Photographer: Robert Viglasky
© Caryn Mandabach Productions Ltd & Tiger Aspect Productions Ltd 2016

“The quality – and quantity – of new hires is testament to the amazing amount of buzz and activity around the studio. Maze Theory is working with huge franchises such as Doctor Who and Peaky Blinders and we have a lot to deliver for fans and VR gaming enthusiasts,” says Maze Theory Executive Producer, Russell Harding in a statement. “To keep our promise to create game-changing VR experiences, we need to have best people out there. We are very excited to be pushing the boundaries of VR and taking it to the next level.”

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is expected to be the biggest VR experience based on the franchise to date, so anticipation is high. When Maze Theory confirms a launch date for September, VRFocus will let you know.

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Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time To Bring A Virtual Tardis To Comic-Con

Yet another Comic-Con VR experience has been revealed, this time for Doctor Who: The Edge of Time.

The anticipated VR game, developed by Maze Theory, will bring a demo to San Diego later this week. Whereas London Comic-Con attendees got the first hands-on session with the game in May, SDCC fans will be the first in the US to step into the Tardis.

Yes, the demo will give you a sneak peek at the iconic spaceship piloted by the Doctor herself. In The Edge Of Time, you play as a new companion that commandeers the Tardis on a trip through time in an effort to save the current Doctor (played in-game by Jodie Whittaker herself) and stop a new villain.

The Tardis itself has been accurately recreated by the Maze Theory team. You can get just a little look at it in this preview from our E3 VR Showcase last month.

“The TARDIS is a very important and hugely iconic element of the show and Doctor Who: The Edge of Time offers the chance to experience it like never before,” Maze Theory’s Creative Director Marcus Moresby said in a prepared statement. “It’s been a huge undertaking to deliver the very best TARDIS experience and is much anticipated by fans of the show. We know they’re going to love it.”

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time will debut on PSVR, Rift, Vive, Index and Quest in September. Meanwhile, Comic-Con will also feature a brand new Batman VR experience and more information on Iron Man VR.

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Step inside the TARDIS During San Diego Comic-Con With Doctor Who: The Edge of Time

In May, British developer Maze Theory revealed work on a virtual reality (VR) project for one of the BBC’s biggest IP’s Doctor Who. Called Doctor Who: The Edge of Time, Oculus and BBC Studios have announced today that fans of the TV series in the US will be able to demo the videogame during the San Diego Comic-Con 2019 this week.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time

To mark the announcement Maze Theory and publisher PlayStack have released several screenshots showcasing the inside of the iconic TARDIS, as well as a brand-new title sequence created just for Doctor Who: The Edge of Time.

Working in close collaboration with BBC Studios, Maze Theory is looking to create the most authentic and lifelike version of the TARDIS in a videogame to date, taking painstaking attention to every detail. Not only will fans be able to step into this accurate portrayal of the TARDIS, exploring every nook and cranny, but they’ll also have the chance to co-pilot the Doctor’s time-travelling craft.

The team brought the TARDIS to life in a process using photogrammetry taking over 1200 hours, travelling to the Doctor Who set in Cardiff taking hundreds of photographs to create an accurate digital reference. Thanks to this process all of the controls are true to the show, with the infamous custard cream biscuit dispenser also making an appearance.

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time

“The TARDIS is a very important and hugely iconic element of the show and Doctor Who: The Edge of Time offers the chance to experience it like never before,” said Maze Theory’s Creative Director Marcus Moresby in a statement. “It’s been a huge undertaking to deliver the very best TARDIS experience and is much anticipated by fans of the show. We know they’re going to love it.”

Starting this Thursday, 18th July and running through to Sunday, 21st July, the San Diego Comic-Con is the largest event of its kind in the US. Doctor Who: Edge of Time is scheduled to arrive in September 2019, supporting PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, HTC Vive and Vive Cosmos headsets. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Maze Theory, reporting back with further updates on the videogame.