Nice Tech has been commissioned by BBC World and Ragdoll to develop MMOG

Nice Tech, the Online Games specialist based in Cambridge, has been commissioned by Ragdoll Worldwide Ltd (a joint venture between award-winning children’s television producer, Ragdoll, and BBC Worldwide) to develop a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) for their new children’s programme Tronji.

Tronji (30 x 30’) commissioned by BBC Broadcast for CBBC, is aimed at children aged 6-9 years. It involves two co-existing ‘worlds’: the Tronji world and the real world. The series blends live-action and real children within a CG-animated environment. It will engage and captivate pre-teens as they immerse themselves in the problem solving and detecting activities of the Tronji world, whilst watching real children solve the comical dilemmas presented in each episode.

The on-line game will allow children to enter an immersive Tronji world via their home computer and engage and explore with other children in a fully interactive and evolving environment. The scale of the Tronji MMOG makes it the most ambitious game of its type for children of this age ever developed, and it will form an integral part of the Tronji experience for Ragdoll Worldwide.

Nice Tech will develop the Tronji MMOG using its breakthrough technology, AliceServer, which uses an innovative, biologically inspired, development philosophy to produce online virtual ‘worlds’. AliceServer creates virtual environments where the complex reality inherent in real environments can emerge.

Commenting on behalf of BBC Children's, Head of Interactive, Rebecca Shallcross says: "The Tronji MMOG will encourage children to participate and collaborate in a really ground-breaking application that will capture their imaginations and make a strong addition to the CBBC online portfolio. Our aim is to offer our audience creative opportunities within a safe environment, providing highly engaging interactive experiences which truly enhance CBBC brands."

Ragdoll’s Andrew Kerr, Executive Vice President, Global Licensing and Marketing says, “We are excited to have secured the services of Nice Tech for this project. Their unique AliceServer technology ensures that the online Tronji experience will be as ambitious and compelling as the television programme itself. The online Tronji environment will be unlike anything ever created for children of this age.”

Commenting on behalf of Nice Tech, Paul Baker CEO says: “We are delighted that Ragdoll Worldwide have decided to commission an MMOG to support the launch of Tronji. We are confident that our expertise and enthusiasm will enable us to deliver a truly innovative online experience.

To partner two leading players with outstanding track records in the Children’s sector such as Ragdoll and BBC Worldwide, and be offered the opportunity to exploit our development skills and technology to contribute to the Tronji vision, is an exciting and terrific opportunity”.

It is anticipated that children will be able to enter the Tronji ‘world’ in the early part of 2008 and will be accessible in the UK via the CBBC website.
www.ragdoll.co.uk