BBC considering more Dr Who, Top Gear games & praises next gen Xbox strategy

Robert Nashak, BBC's EVP for digital, has stated his interest in developing more trans-media properties within the company, inspired by the success of SyFy's Defiance.

Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Nashak explained the difficulty in the past of releasing games in tandem with TV shows or movies. Games took months or even years to complete, and were released long after the initial hype for a TV show or movie had died down. Nowadays however, it's a different story.

"Where we can get in with the creatives early, we try to develop in tandem with them a digital strategy," he said. "That's the wave of the future and BBC's been doing that." A number of BBC-owned brands already embrace a trans-media approach, with Nashak citing Dr Who, Walking With Dinosaurs, Top Gear and Dancing With The Stars as examples. Microsoft would presumably be more than happy to feature BBC shows on Xbox Live - the firm is reportedly in talks with NBC to revive Heroes as an Xbox-exclusive show, in accordance with its plans to feature more original programming on the Marketplace. Microsoft has partnered with the Beeb before, introducing elements of the Top Gear license to Forza Motorsport 4.
"It used to be that games were ancillary products," Nashak continued. "Defiance is a good example from SyFy, where if you can think of them holistically from the get-go it's much more important. I'm a big believer in games and media properties really working together. I used to do Harry Potter games for EA, and you were always trying to hit the movie deadline. That rush never worked. You can only get so much of the creatives' time."
The BBC also want to get behind and support more user-created content. "Brands are being created by their audiences, and we need to embrace that. The other thing that seems to be changing in the media landscape is brands and IP being less afraid of the fans creating their own stuff, and more embracing it. The idea that a fan can go and create something about Dr. Who out there, or any of our brands, it's not 'Uh oh, there's a problem.'"
Nashak proclaimed his excitement for next gen consoles, singling Xbox out for particular praise. "It's been a while. I think we're going to see Microsoft, for example, really get it right - not that they haven't in the past. You're going to see this next Xbox be a true home entertainment system. I think they're going to have a system when you get into Xbox Live that's going to be very seamless; you'll see more frictionless billing."