The Edge of Time (video game)

Doctor Who: The Edge of Time is a 2019 virtual reality video game developed by Maze Theory and published by Playstack. It features the Thirteenth Doctor's voice, performed by Jodie Whittaker, and the TARDIS taking the player on an adventure through Space and Time. Besides having the Weeping Angels and the Daleks, the game introduces two brand new monsters: the Hydrorcs and the Zlysters.
Originally scheduled to launch in September, an early version of the game was made playable at MCM Comic Con in London on 24, 25 and 26 May 2019.https://www.blogtorwho.com/doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-vr-game-to-debut-at-mcm-comic-con-london/
Another opportunity to play the game was made available at San Diego Comic-Con by BBC America on 18, 19, 20 and 21 July 2019.https://cultbox.co.uk/news/a-glimpse-of-the-tardis-you-can-pilot-in-doctor-who-vr-game
As the game was announced in mid-September to be delayed, but with no new launch yet announced, a third opportunity to play the game was made available at a special event at Protein Studios in East London on 27 and 28 September 2019. Attendees had to book a time, though.https://cultbox.co.uk/news/doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-special-event
Demos were made available to play at London Comic Con on 25 to 27 October 2019.https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=doctor-who-london-comic-con-2019#_
It was released on 12 November 2019 on PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, HTC VIVE and VIVE Cosmos. While the game was delayed for Oculus Quest.https://www.vrfocus.com/2019/10/oculus-quest-version-of-doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-coming-december/
Maze Theory, BBC Studios and publisher PlayStack also partnered with Synthesis VR, SpringboardVR, Ctrl V and Vive Arcade to make the game available in more than 100 arcades worldwide, located across the UK, Europe, Asia and North America on 23 November.https://www.vrfocus.com/2019/10/an-arcade-version-of-doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-coming-to-vr-locations-on-doctor-who-day/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
It was announced by Maze Theory that Oculus Quest users would have to wait almost exactly one month from original official release, being available in December. It was, however, delayed once again to 23 January 2020, on which it finally was released, along with a PC VR patch that adds support to the Valve Index.https://uploadvr.com/doctor-who-quest-index/
On 16 November 2020, a free DLC update was released for the game to tie-in with the Time Lord Victorious multi-media story.https://www.vrfocus.com/2020/11/doctor-who-the-edge-of-time-adds-new-time-lord-victorious-content/ The update revolved around collecting items from the chapters of the game that had a connection with the Time Lord Victorious story to power up the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS.Time Lord Victorious Edge of Time
== Publisher's summary ==
A new mysterious enemy threatens to tear apart the universe and only you can stop them! Doctor Who: The Edge Of Time lets players embark on an adventure through space and time. Travel across the universe, visit alien locations, pilot the TARDIS and solve the mystery of the controlling force behind...
== Plot ==
=== Chapter 1 ===
The Doctor recruits someone to help her against a reality virus. The companion escapes a London laundrette, filled with incubated Hydrorcs, using the Doctor's sonic screwdriver she transmatted in the manager's office safe and calls the TARDIS, narrowly escaping a Dalek spaceship which detected the Gallifreyan technology.
=== Chapter 2 ===
The companion then goes collecting three zeiton crystals to help the Doctor use a vortex manipulator to escape the end of time and deal with the reality virus. First, landing in a jungle which is revealed to be only one of over 2,000 environments of the spaceship SS Lucia Minor. Guided by the female voice of Emer, the companion goes to zone 7 to discover the ship abandoned, with hybernating Zlysters. In the cockpit, the companion discover that EMER was the lifesupport AI of the ship which became sentient after Zlysters changed into Tazmas, massacred the passengers and planned to escape the ship and be captured by the Shadow Proclamation to gain attention. Emer and the Companion change the course of the ship, take the Time Crystal from the circuits and get inside the TARDIS after it was transmatted in the cockpit, Emer being downloaded inside the sonic screwdriver.
=== Chapter 3 ===
The Companion and Emer then go to Sir Manfred Grayle's home in late Victorian era London to get the Time Crystal from Magnus Greel's Time cabinet under it while escaping Weeping Angels. It is opened using the trionic lattice hidden in a gramophone.
=== Chapter 4 ===
After the Doctor explains that the First, the original living being in the universe and creator of all other life, is responsible for the reality virus, the companion and Emer take the third and final crystal in the Temple of the First on Metebelis IV, a sentient planet invaded by Bronze Daleks trying to harness the power of the crystal. The companion manages to get through by getting inside and using a Dalek casing. They then use the three crystals to open a stone structure and reveal the TARDIS.
=== Chapter 5 ===
The TARDIS has its interior deleted by the virus and by exiting it the companion arrives in the Inner Temple of the First and meets her. She explains her plan to kill the universe and rebirth its inhabitants better. The Doctor reveals that she lied to the companion: she did not need the crystals and planted them so that the companion could visit the locations so that they were the last to disappear since the First would spy on them. The Doctor met the First to try and failed to make her change her opinion of the universe. She then tells the companion to go to the visited location by thought while the universe is being destroyed to collect three disguised objects which actually are a Time Lord device created to put the First in a time loop.
=== Time Lord Victorious DLC ===
Inside the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's Console Room, the Companion can scan collectibles, found in the following order along the way, to get the Time Lord Victorious' sonic screwdriver and then power up the TARDIS to escape:
* Dalek Executioner's Manipulator arm
* Brian the Ood's Translation sphere
* Black Scrolls of Rassilon
* Time Lord Victorious collar stand
* Sonic stake
* Dalek Gunstick
* Sergent Robert Dudley's UNIT dossier
* Judgement Stone of the KotturuhThe Edge of Time, Time Lord Victorious
== Cast ==
* Thirteenth Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
* Emer - Jennifer Saayeng
* The First - Adjoa Andoh
* Daleks, Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs
* TBA - James Goode
* TBA - Amy Matthiessen
* TBA - Cosima Wagner
=== Time Lord Victorious DLC ===
Uncredited:
* Fourth Doctor - Tom Baker (State of Decay archive audio)
* Fifth Doctor - Peter Davison (The Five Doctors archive audio)
* Ninth Doctor - Christopher Eccleston (Dalek archive audio)
* Tenth Doctor - David Tennant (Planet of the Ood, The Waters of Mars archive audio)
* Romana II - Lalla Ward (State of Decay archive audio)
* Donna Noble - Catherine Tate (Planet of the Ood archive audio)
* Adelaide Brooke - Lindsay Duncan (The Waters of Mars archive audio)
* Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave (14684 UNIT Field Log archive audio)
* Marc Cory - Edward de Souza (Mission to the Unknown archive audio)
* - Jon Culshaw (Lesser Evils archive audio)
* Kotturuh - Jon Culshaw (Lesser Evils archive audio)
* Klineman Halpen - Tim McInnerny (Planet of the Ood archive audio)
* Flavia - Dinah Sheridan (The Five Doctors archive audio)
* Borusa - Philip Latham (The Five Doctors archive audio)
* Metaltron - Nicholas Briggs (Dalek archive audio)
== Crew ==
=== Maze Theory ===
* Creative Director - Marcus Moresby
* Executive Producer - Russell Harding
* Producer - Bob Millington
* Lead Developer - Neil Millstone
* Lead Designer - Joey To
* Enviroment Artist - Victoria Goldsmith
* Narratives Design - Adil Ahmed
* Written by - Gavin Collinson
* Composer - Richard Wilkinson
* Orchestrator - Tristan Noon
* Score Performed by - F.A.M.E.'s Orchestra
* Solo Cello - Deryn Cuilen
* Conductor - Oleg Kondratenko
* Sound Engineer - Saša, Janković
* Protools Engineer - Igor Vasilev
* Stage Manager
** Ilija Grkovski
** Teodora Arcsovska
* Original Theme Music - Ron Grainer
* Audio Design & Sound Effects
** Interleave Interactive
** ID Audio
* Art Team
** Andreas Jörgensen
** Alberto Fernandez Mancilla
** Room 8
* Graphics - Rémy Auger
* Concept Art - Peter Dobbin
* Animation
** Brian Vowels
** Jen May Hamilton
* Visual Effects - Claran Devine
* Production Support
** Claire Boissiere
** Brad Porter
* Executive Producers
** Head Gear Films
** Phil Hunt
** Compton Ross
* Programming
** Tim Holt
** Chris Payne
* Development Support - Dream Reality Interactive
* Oculus Quest Support - Warp Digital
* QA - Dwayne Clarke
* CEO - Ian Hambleton
* CFO - Nicky Narraine
* Press & Public Relations
** Charlotte Chisnall
** Alex Holt-Kulapalan
** Caroline Miller
* Jnr Product Manager - Quin Wagner-Piggott
* Special Thanks To all those that have supported us through the development of Doctor Who the Edge of Time
** Alastair Lindsay
** John Silke
** Emma Tilbury-Allen
** Dan Moore
** Rob Coke
* [[In>Theory Panel]]
** Trevor Heale
** Joe Matson
** Dominic Greenwood-Martin
** Matthew Legg
** Beth Axford
** Kieza Newson
** Kai Steele Nelson
** Melissa Azombo
* Platforms
** Oculus Rift - Phil Greenspan
** PlayStation 4 - Dominic Kendrick
** HTC Vive - Maria Rakusanova
* Maze Theory Advisors / Board
** Mark Hardy
** Geoff Heath
** Nick Parker
** Dave Ranyard
* Legal - Sheridans
=== PlayStack ===
* CEO - Harvey Elliott
* CMO - Harriet Hughes
* Lead Producer - Kiron Ramdewar
* Community Manager - Cameron Mundy
* QA and Localisation Manager - Lindsay Gurr
* Head of User Acquisition - Nasrin Chou
* Outsourced Testing - Lionbridge
* Video Editors
** Fox Hambly
** Edgar Khoo
** Mark Percival
* Head of Art - Alex Flynn
* Graphic Designers
** Justas Pugaciauskas
** Jordan Walker
=== BBC Studios ===
* Lead Producer - David Bradshaw
* Head of Digital Ent & Games - Bradley Crooks
* Creative Producer - Peter Hickman
* Script Editor - Gabby De Matteis
* Doctor Who Brand Team
** Gwenaelle Boissel
** Sarah Bold
** Ronan Chandler
** Sally de St Croix
** Vanessa Hamilton
** Esther Lawrence
* Comms
** Kate Hunter
** Emma McKinnon
* Artist Relations - Kate Bush
* Made with unity
* Copyrights are trademark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are under license
** BBC
** Doctor Who (wordmarks, logo and devices)
** TARDIS (wordmarks and devices)
** BBC logo © BBC 1996
** Doctor Who logo and insignia © BBC 2018
** Thirteenth Doctor images © BBC Studios 2018
* Licensed by BBC Studios, Limited
* This game is published under license from BBC Studio's. BBC Studios' profits from the game go back to BBC programme-makers to help fund more great programmes
* Doctor Who theme music - Ron Grainer © Warner Chappell
== Worldbuilding ==
* Coal Hill School had a Summer Fair on Saturday 12 May 2018.
* Hydrorcs are vicious amphibians used as guards by the Stenza and Zygons outside Earth system.
* Graham, Ryan and Yaz are on a secret mission for the Doctor.
* SS Lucia Minor is the biggest spaceship of N-Space with 2,000 environment and is financed by assassins from Pulgarius Five.
* Pulgarius Five's currency is the talmar.
* Metebelis IV is "better" than Metebelis III but not as much as Metebelis I or Metebelis II.
* The Dalek Empire goes from Skaro to New Spiridon.
== Story notes ==
* A previous short story by writer Gavin Collinson is referenced in this video game through several notes in the launderette from a "Shivani" related to Coal Hill School. This is Shivani Bajwa from PROSE: Doctor Who and the Horror of Coal Hill.
* The items added to the game by the DLC update on 15 November 2020 were: the manipulator arm arm of a Dalek Executioner, (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times, etc) Brian the Ood's translation sphere (Mr Ball), (PROSE: The Guide to the Dark Times, etc) the Black Scrolls of Rassilon, the Tenth Doctor's ceremonial Time Lord collar, a Sonic stake, (COMIC: Tales of the Dark Times) a Dalek gunstick, the UNIT file of Sergent Robert Dudley, (WC: 14683 UNIT Field Log) and the Judgement Stone of the Kotturuh. (AUDIO: Lesser Evils)
* The DLC update also featured a modified version of the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver. (PROSE: All Flesh is Grass) After completion of the update, this version can then be used within the main story of the game.Twitter announcement
== Soundtrack ==
The soundtrack is available for purchase.store page Although the Segun Akinola theme was used, Wilkinson also made a cover of the Doctor Who theme using FAME's orchestra and released it on his YouTube channel.
== Footnotes ==
Category:2019 video games
Category:Stories that use the Segun Akinola theme
Category:Time Lord Victorious stories
Category:Thirteenth Doctor video games
Category:Dalek video games
Category:Weeping Angel video games
fr:The Edge of Time (jeu vidéo)