BBC launches its first online multiplayer game, Nightfall, designed for children
- Wednesday, February 5th, 2020
- Share this article:
The BBC has launched its first online multiplayer game – Nightfall – which is available for iOS, Android and Amazon devices, and online, from today. The fact the game is also playable on most web browsers will allow cross-play between those on desktop and mobile devices.
Aimed at children, the game aims to bring together young players with their friends in a safe gaming environment. It was produced for BBC Children’s by independent games studio Goodboy Digital, who have previously worked with the BBC on apps including CBeebies Get Creative and games such as Doctor Who Time Vortex VR.
The game begins with players falling asleep and entering a dream world. There they become Nightfallers, working together with fellow gamers to fight off the enemy characters – Nags and Nightmares – who threaten their dreams.
Players can either choose to play as a guest or they can sign in with their BBC account, which will save their progress. When signed in, their characters will increase in strength as they advance through the game, unlocking new outfits and items players can use to customise their Nightfaller.
The BBC said that creating a positive and safe gaming experience is at the heart of Nightfall, and, to protect players, the game doesn’t include loot boxes, ads or micro-transactions. The game also prevents players from sharing personal information whilst interacting with one another, limiting in-game communication to pre-set ‘emoji’ style icons rather than open text fields or voice chat.
“Nightfall is a wonderful new game that puts collaboration before competition, giving young gamers the opportunity to team up and work together to defeat the enemy characters,” said Alice Webb, director of BBC Children’s and Education. “It’s also been designed with safety at its heart – we’ve carefully built this game in such a way that that children can feel free to play, explore and have fun with their friends online while their parents can have confidence that they’re doing so in a safe and secure environment.“