BBC to launch Gary Lineker video game
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The BBC is to launch a video game starring Gary Lineker as it scrambles to win over young audiences.
The corporation will launch a game on online platform Roblox featuring some of its biggest shows, including Match of the Day, Doctor Who and EastEnders.
TV stars including Gary Lineker, Louis Theroux, Zara McDermott and Ncuti Gatwa, who plays the Fifteenth Doctor, will star in the online world.
It is the latest effort by the BBC to reach young viewers amid concerns they are increasingly defecting to streaming rivals such as Netflix, as well as social media apps including TikTok.
The crisis has taken on even greater urgency amid questions over the future of the licence fee funding model, which is currently under review.
The game, dubbed BBC Wonder Chase, will promote the BBC brand to 71m daily users of Roblox, the majority of whom are children and teenagers.
The California-based immersive gaming platform, which enjoyed a boom during Covid lockdowns, allows users to programme and play games created by themselves or others.
Players will be able to complete mini-games, collect iPlayer-branded coins, learn facts about nature and tackle obstacle courses. They will also be able to interact with friends and watch clips of BBC shows in a specially-designed cinema area.
Patricia Hildalgo, BBC director of children’s and education, said: “As the children’s media landscape is constantly evolving, we want to meet kids wherever they are.
“We know Roblox is hugely popular with children and we’re giving them the chance to interact and play with their favourite CBBC shows and characters, and discover more to love from across the BBC.”
The game, built by Bristol-based developer Mobile Pie, highlights how traditional broadcasters are seeking to harness their existing intellectual property in new, immersive digital worlds.
Players will begin their journey in Wonder Central, a virtual city in which they can meet documentarians such as Louis Theroux or interact with Hacker T Dog, a border terrier puppet that appears on CBBC.
Separate zones dedicated to themes such as sport, space and nature will allow the BBC to showcase other shows and presenters.
BBC Wonder Chase will be free to play on Roblox and available on PC, mobile, PlayStation and Xbox.
Fiona Campbell, controller of youth audience, BBC iPlayer and BBC Three, said: “BBC Wonder Chase brings some of the biggest BBC shows from the worlds of sport, drama and the natural world alive in a game space that encourages play and social interaction between friends and also the show’s leading characters.”
It comes after the BBC unveiled plans to launch TikTok-style short-form news videos as it adapts to changing viewing habits among younger audiences.
Outlining the BBC’s annual plan, director general Tim Davie said the broadcaster will focus on “embracing reform and innovation” in the year ahead.
The Government has formed a panel to consider options for replacing the licence fee, which currently stands at £169.50, with a new funding model as part of the upcoming Charter review.
The BBC will initially launch the game as an 18-month trial, with more programmes and personalities expected to be added in the coming months.
A spokesman said the corporation did not expect to require regulatory approval for the launch.
