BBC Multimedia

Last updated

BBC Multimedia
Founded1995;28 years ago (1995)
Defunct2006 (2006)
Headquarters
Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London
,
Products Doctor Who
Robot Wars
Teletubbies
Tweenies
Bob the Builder
Noddy
Pingu
Wallace and Gromit
Owner BBC
Parent BBC Worldwide
Subsidiaries Gamezlab

BBC Multimedia was a division of the BBC which dealt with the publishing of computer-game versions of well-known BBC television programmes.

Contents

History

The Multimedia division was founded in 1995 [1] and mostly focused on CD-ROM software for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh.

The company attended E3 2002 by announcing its first game for the Xbox, Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction , set for a November 2002 release, [2] as well as a game adaptation of the CBBC series Ace Lightning for the PlayStation 2, with both games also on Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance. [3] Other CD-ROM games announced this time were Bob the Builder: Bob Builds a Park, set for a July 2002 release [4] and Tweenies: Messy Time, set for an October 2002 release. [5]

In July 2002, the company launched a budget range called Favourites, consisting of pre-school games. [6] On 5 November 2002, the company announced a Fimbles CD-ROM for a June 2003 release. [7]

On February 6, 2003, the company announced the Ace Lightning video game for March. [8]

At E3 2003, the company announced a video game based on FightBox for PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Advance for a pre-Christmas release window to tie-in with the show's airing. [9] The game adapation was one of the many side-projects done for the FightBox IP, which was mostly worked on by Runecraft. After the company went out of business, the BBC acquired the developer's offices and some of their staff, and re-structured it under the "Gamezlab" name. [10] The company also showcased their Fimbles CD-ROM, in addition to a game based on Tiny Planets , a Bob the Builder game - Bob's Castle Adventure for a July 2003 release, [11] and an Engie Benjy CD-ROM for a September 2003 release. [12] In October, the company announced the FightBox video game for February 2004. [13] On November 24, the company announced a Balamory CD-ROM for 2004. [14]

In January 2004, Balamory was announced for the following month. [15] A compilation release titled Playtime! was announced. [16] In February, the company announced a video game based on Spooks for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Windows, for a late 2004 release window. [17] On 2 November 2004, Global Software Publishing announced acquiring exclusive distribution rights to BBC Multimedia's library. This move was done so BBC Worldwide could refocus BBC Multimedia as a video game licensor instead of being a publisher. [18] Shortly before this, BBC Worldwide closed down Gamezlab and cancelled the upcoming Spooks video game.

BBC Multimedia was closed in 2006 after sales declined in its boxed product business. [19]

Games

GamePlatform(s)Release Date
Attenborough's AntarcticWindows 95 / 98 / 3.11997
BalamoryWindows 98 / 95 / XP2004
Bill & Ben: Flowerpot Fun!Windows 98 / 952001
BBC Games Collection Featuring Toybox/PlaytimeWindows 98 / 95 / XP2003 / 2005
Blue PeterWindows 951997
Bob the Builder: Bob Builds a Park (Published in North America by THQ)Windows 98 / Me / XP2001
Bob the Builder: Bob's Castle Adventure (Published in North America by THQ)Windows 98 / Me / XP2003
Bob the Builder: Can We Fix It? (Published in North America by THQ)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation2000 / 2001
Bob the Builder: Fix it Fun! (Published in North America by THQ)Game Boy Color2000 / 2001
Changing RoomsWindows 95 / 98N/A
Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors Windows 951997
Fast Show Comedy Fun PackWindows 95 / 98N/A
Fawlty Towers  Comedy PackWindows 95 / 98N/A
Fimbles: Fimbling FunWindows 95 / 98 / XP2003
Gardeners' World Magazine Garden Manager with Alan TitchmarshWindows 95 / 98N/A
GCSE Bitesize Revision: MathsWindows 95 / 982000
GCSE Bitesize Revision: ScienceWindows 95 / 982000
The Human Body  Your BodyWindows 95 / 981999
Key Stage 2 ReviseWise ScienceWindows 95 / 981997
Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision EnglishWindows 95 / 981999
Key Stage 3 Bitesize Revision MathsWindows 95 / 981999
Live & Kicking: Show MakerWindows 3.1 / 95 / 981995
MastermindWindows 3.1 / 95 / 981997
Noddy: Let's Get Ready for School! (Released in North America as Noddy: Playtime in Toyland) (Published in North America by Knowledge Adventure)Windows 95 / 981998 (UK) 1999 (US)
Noddy: The Magic of ToytownWindows 95 / 981996
Noddy's Magic Adventure PlayStation2000
Noddy and the Birthday Party Game Boy Color2000
Only Fools & HorsesWindows 95 / 98N/A
Pingu & FriendsWindows, Macintosh1999
Pingu: A Barrel of Fun!Windows 95 / 981997
Play with the Teletubbies (Published in North America by Knowledge Adventure)Windows 95 / 98 /PlayStation 1998 / 2000
Teletubbies 2: Favourite Games (Published in North America by Knowledge Adventure)Windows 95 / 981999
Result: The BBC Sports Quiz presented by Desmond LynamWindows 95N/A
Robot Wars: Advanced Destruction (Published in North America by Vivendi Universal Games) Game Boy Advance 2001
Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem Game Boy Color 2000
Rotten Ralph  Big Night InWindows 95 / 982000
S Club 7: On The RoadWindows 95 / 98 / Me / 2000 / XP2003
Shakespeare on CD-ROM: MacbethWindows 3.1 / 95 / 981995
Shakespeare on CD-ROM: Romeo and JulietWindows 95 / 981995 [20]
SMartWindows 95 / 98 / NTN/A
Spark Island Adventures in Literacy 7-9Windows, Macintosh1997
Spark Island Adventures in Literacy 9-11Windows, Macintosh1997
Spark Island Adventures in Maths 7-9Windows, Macintosh1997
Spark Island Farmer Rumtums Letter Fun 3-5Windows, Macintosh1999
Spark Island Farmer Rumtums Number Fun 3-5Windows, Macintosh1999
Spark Island Maths Adventures 9-11Windows, Macintosh2001
Spark Island Number Games 5-7Windows, Macintosh2001
Spark Island Reading Games 5-7Windows, Macintosh2001
Top Of The Pops: Mix FactoryWindows 95 / 98N/A
Top Of The Pops: Mix Factory 2Windows 95 / 981999 [21]
Tweenies: Doodles' BonesWindows 95 / 98, Game Boy Color2000
Tweenies: Game TimePlayStation2001
Tweenies: Messy Time MagicWindows 95 / 982002
Tweenies: Play to the MusicWindows 95 / 98 / Me / XP2004
Tweenies: Ready to PlayWindows 95 / 982000
Wallace & Gromit Cracking AnimatorWindows 95 / 981997
Wallace & Gromit Print-o-maticWindows 95 / 981998
The Weakest Link (published by Activision)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 22001
Yoho Ahoy: All Aboard!Windows 982000

Gamezlab

GamePlatform(s)Release Date
Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction (Published in North America by Vivendi Universal Games)Windows 98 / Me, PlayStation 2 2001
Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction Windows 95 / 98 / 2000 / Me / XP, Xbox, Game Boy Advance 2002
Ace LightningWindows, PlayStation 2 2002
FightBox Windows, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance 2004
Spooks PlayStation 2, Xbox, WindowsCancelled

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CD-i</span> Video game console and interactive multimedia CD player

The Compact Disc-Interactive is a digital optical disc data storage format that was mostly developed and marketed by Dutch company Philips. It was created as an extension of CDDA and CD-ROM and specified in the Green Book specifications, co-developed by Philips and Sony, to combine audio, text and graphics. The two companies initially expected to impact the education/training, point of sale, and home entertainment industries, but CD-i eventually became best known for its video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TurboGrafx-16</span> Fourth-generation home video game console

The TurboGrafx-16, known as the PC Engine outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, though the console has an 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) coupled with a 16-bit graphics processor. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. In Europe, the console is known as the PC Engine, after the Japanese model was imported and distributed in the United Kingdom and France from 1988. In Japan, the system was launched as a competitor to the Famicom, but the delayed United States release meant that it ended up competing with the Sega Genesis and later the Super NES.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore CDTV</span> Multimedia entertainment and video game console

The CDTV is a home multimedia entertainment and video game console – convertible into a full-fledged personal computer by the addition of optional peripherals – developed by Commodore International and launched in April 1991.

2003 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Tony Hawk's Underground, Madden NFL 2004, NBA Live 2004, ESPN NBA Basketball, Final Fantasy X-2, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Sonic Heroes, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Uru: Ages Beyond Myst, and WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain. New intellectual properties included Beyond Good & Evil, Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand, Call of Duty, Disgaea, Drakengard, Manhunt, PlanetSide, TrackMania, True Crime: Streets of LA, and Viewtiful Joe.

<i>Balamory</i> British childrens television series

Balamory is a Scottish live-action children's programme on CBeebies for pre-school children, about a fictional small island community off the west coast of Scotland, named Balamory. Four series were produced from 2002 to 2005 by BBC Scotland, with 253 episodes made. The programme was created by Brian Jameson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multimedia PC</span> Personal computer configuration standard

The Multimedia PC (MPC) was a recommended configuration for a personal computer (PC) with a CD-ROM drive. The standard was set and named by the Multimedia PC Marketing Council, which was a working group of the Software Publishers Association. The MPMC comprised companies including Microsoft, Creative Labs, Dell, Gateway, and Fujitsu. Any PC with the required standards could be called an "MPC" by licensing the use of the logo from the SPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FM Towns</span> Japanese personal computer

The FM Towns is a Japanese personal computer built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. In 1993, the FM Towns Marty was released, a game console compatible with existing FM Towns games.

<i>Pyst</i> 1997 video game

Pyst is an adventure computer game released in October 1996. It was created as a parody of the highly successful adventure game Myst. Pyst was written by Peter Bergman, a co-founder of the Firesign Theatre, and was published by Parroty Interactive, with Bergman, Stallone, Inc. as co-publisher. Mindscape began distributing the game on August 20, 1997. The parody features full motion video of actor John Goodman as "King Mattruss", the ruler of "Pyst Island". Versions of the game were produced for both the Windows PC and Apple Macintosh operating systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Interactive Entertainment</span> Sonys software company

Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company owned by Sony. SIE primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. In 1993, Sony and Sony Music Entertainment Japan jointly established Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. in Tokyo. SCE released the video game console PlayStation in Japan the following year and subsequently in the United States and Europe the year after. In 2010, SCE underwent a corporate split and established Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI). SNEI provided gaming-related services through the PlayStation Network, including the sale of game titles and content on the PlayStation Store, as well as offering PlayStation Plus. In 2016, SCE and SNEI merged to form Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, with its headquarters located in San Mateo, California, U.S.

1993 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden, Mortal Kombat II, Secret of Mana, and Super Street Fighter II, alongside new titles such as Star Fox, FIFA International Soccer, Doom, Gunstar Heroes, Myst, Samurai Shodown, Ridge Racer, NBA Jam, Disney's Aladdin, and Virtua Fighter.

<i>Intellivision Lives!</i> Video game compilation

Intellivision Lives! is a compilation of over 60 Intellivision video games, originally produced by Mattel Electronics and INTV Corporation between 1978 and 1990. Using original game code and software emulation, Intellivision Productions released the compilation on a Windows and Macintosh hybrid CD-ROM in December 1998. Additional versions were then released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube by Crave Entertainment. In 2010, Virtual Play Games released a Nintendo DS version.

<i>Alone in the Dark 3</i> 1995 video game

Alone in the Dark 3 is a 1995 survival horror video game developed and published by Infogrames Multimedia. It is the third installment of the Alone in the Dark video game series. The video game was released for MS-DOS in 1995. It was ported to the PC-98 later that year. Versions for Windows and Mac OS were also released in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behaviour Interactive</span> Canadian video game development studio

Behaviour Interactive Inc. is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal. The studio is best known for Dead by Daylight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Interactive</span> Defunct American video game publisher

Fox Interactive was an American video game publisher based in Los Angeles, California. The company published games based on 20th Century Fox properties, yet also published several original titles, such as Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.

Runecraft was a British video game developer based in the United Kingdom. The company was founded in April 1997 and mostly developed games based on licensed properties.

<i>Monopoly Star Wars</i> 1997 video game

Monopoly Star Wars is the 1997 Monopoly franchise Star Wars video game based on the board game and set in the Star Wars fictional universe. It is one of many Monopoly video game adaptions. The game was developed by Artech Studios and published by Hasbro Interactive. It was released exclusively for Microsoft Windows computers. The game employs the same basic ruleset of traditional Monopoly gameplay, but the Star Wars theme includes famous characters and locales in place of the original game pieces and properties.

<i>Virtual Murder</i> (video game series) Mystery-adventure video game series

Virtual Murder, renamed as Murder Mystery is a four-part murder mystery adventure video game series developed by Creative Multimedia Corporation. The games were released in 1993 and 1994 for Macintosh and Windows PCs.

<i>Vid Grid</i> 1994 video game

Vid Grid is a tile-matching full motion video puzzle game originally developed by Geffen Records and published by Jasmine Multimedia Publishing for Windows on September 13, 1994. It was later ported to the Atari Jaguar CD by High Voltage Software in 1995, where it was included along with Blue Lightning as one of the pack-in games for the peripheral when it launched. It is the first entry in the series of the same name.

<i>Johnny Mnemonic</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Johnny Mnemonic: The Interactive Action Movie is a point-and-click adventure science fiction video game directed by Douglas Gayeton for Macintosh, Microsoft Windows and released by Sony Imagesoft on May 26, 1995. Based on the 1981 short story of the same name by William Gibson, the game has the player take the role of the title character.

The TurboGrafx-16 Mini, also known as the PC Engine Mini in Japan and PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini in Europe, is a dedicated home video game console by Konami modeled on NEC's TurboGrafx-16, which was designed by Hudson Soft, a video game developer which Konami acquired in 2012. The Mini emulates the original console's 8-bit hardware. The Japanese model contains 58 games in total while the international models contain 57. The Mini was originally set to be released worldwide on March 19, 2020, exclusively through Amazon, but was delayed everywhere except for Japan because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was shipped in North America on May 22, 2020, and in Europe on June 5, 2020.

References

  1. French, Michael (6 August 2007). "BBC to return to games development?". MCV . Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  2. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Robot Wars activated on Xbox". www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - BBC Multimedia at E3". www.bbc.co.uk.
  4. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Bob the Builder: Bob Builds a Park PC CD-ROM". www.bbc.co.uk.
  5. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Tweenies Get Messy". www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Multimedia - Children's Titles". www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - PC Fimbling Fun from BBC Multimedia". www.bbc.co.uk.
  8. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Fight the fear on PS2 with Ace Lightning". www.bbc.co.uk.
  9. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - BBC Multimedia brings FightBox to E3". www.bbc.co.uk.
  10. Yarwood, Jack (22 March 2023). "Remembering FightBox, BBC's Big-Budget Video Game Failure". Time Extension. Hookshot Media. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Award Winning Bob Returns on PC CD-ROM". www.bbc.co.uk.
  12. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - BBC Multimedia publishes Engie Benjy PC CD-ROM". www.bbc.co.uk.
  13. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - FightBox on PC, PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Advance". www.bbc.co.uk.
  14. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Top story for Balamory". www.bbc.co.uk.
  15. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Balamory goes interactive". www.bbc.co.uk.
  16. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office -". www.bbc.co.uk.
  17. "BBC - Worldwide Press Office - Spooks revealed as multi-format computer game". www.bbc.co.uk.
  18. "GSP licenses BBC Worldwide's catalogue of award winning software". GamesIndustry.biz. 2 November 2004.
  19. French, Michael (21 January 2010). "BBC gets back into games". MCV . Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  20. BBC Shakespeare on CD-ROM  Romeo and Juliet. ASIN   0003252787. 25 April 1995
  21. "Top Of The Pops: Mix Factory 2". GameTrailers. Retrieved 18 February 2014.