Bloody Hell, Mate! Heaven's Vault Was Nearly a Doctor Who Game?!
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Discover the mind-blowing origin of Inkle's narrative masterpiece, *Heaven's Vault*, which surprisingly began life as a fully-fledged *Doctor Who* game pitch that went unanswered by the BBC. This cosmic pivot, despite its initial disappointment, ultimately granted Inkle the creative freedom to forge a unique archaeological adventure, proving that sometimes, the path less travelled leads to gaming gold.
Right, so gather 'round, you curious digital adventurers, because I've been tinkering with a piece of news this morning that's wilder than a rogue spell in a wizard's apprentice's hands. You know Inkle, right? The brilliant minds behind narrative gems like *80 Days*, *Overboard*, and that archaeology masterpiece, *Heaven's Vault*? Well, apparently, the latter almost had a very different, very British, very timey-wimey beginning.
I'm talking *Doctor Who*, mate. Yeah, you heard me. *Heaven's Vault*, that sprawling, linguistic-archaeology adventure that genuinely makes you feel like you're uncovering ancient alien secrets, was initially pitched as a game starring the Doctor himself. My mind, much like a poorly calibrated portal gun, is still trying to reconcile these two realities.
This little nugget of digital lore popped up thanks to Jon Ingold, Inkle's narrative director and writer. He casually dropped it on social media – just a simple line, 'Heaven's Vault started out as a Doctor Who game,' while resharing a post about *Donkey Kong* originally being a *Popeye* game. Talk about burying the lede under a cosmic dust cloud! Naturally, my digital wizard senses tingled, and I knew I had to dig deeper. Lucky for us, Victoria Phillips Kennedy over at Eurogamer did just that, sliding into Ingold's DMs and pulling out the whole brilliant, chaotic story. (Massive kudos to Victoria and Eurogamer for the original deep dive here!)
Back in 2014, after *80 Days* became a massive critical darling, Inkle found themselves in that sweet spot where everyone wants a piece of your magic. Amongst the flurry of IP meetings, the BBC came knocking, floating various properties. Now, Ingold, a self-confessed lifetime *Doctor Who* fan, couldn't resist. And honestly, who could blame him? Imagine the possibilities for Inkle's unique narrative design within the boundless universe of *Doctor Who*.
For eight glorious months, Inkle poured their hearts and souls into 'The Daedalus Effect' – that's what their *Doctor Who* pitch was called. They even hired a concept artist, meticulously thought through story beats, and started early development. We're talking 2D characters in 3D scenes for a comic-book vibe, a fully modelled TARDIS interior you could wander through, and even a *Super Hexagon*-inspired 'fly through the vortex' mini-game for travel sequences. Crucially, they even began rebuilding their *ink* engine – the very same tech that powers *Heaven's Vault* today – all for this potential *Doctor Who* adventure set on an asteroid on the edge of a black hole, with time dilation making things deliciously perilous.
Sounds bloody brilliant, doesn't it? A dream project, a perfect fit for Inkle's character-driven, choice-rich storytelling. So, what happened, you ask? Ah, the age-old tale of corporate silence. The BBC, bless their cotton socks, just... never got back to them. 'Technically, we're still waiting for a reply,' Ingold wryly remarked. You can practically hear the collective sigh of creative frustration across the digital ether. It's like sending out a magical parchment asking for a dragon, only for the owl to get lost in the mail dimension for a decade.
But here's where the tale takes a genuinely optimistic turn. Forced to pivot, with *Sorcery! 4* wrapping up, Inkle decided to take all those prototypes – the TARDIS interior, the vortex flight, the revamped *ink* engine – and repurpose them into something entirely their own. And *lo and behold*, from the ashes of a brilliant *Doctor Who* pitch, *Heaven's Vault* was born. As Ingold puts it, it was 'accidentally, way more ambitious than our previous games.' Sometimes, mate, the spells you *don't* cast lead to the most incredible discoveries.
It's fascinating to see how the ghost of the Doctor still haunts *Heaven's Vault*, but in the best possible way. Aliya Elasra, our intrepid archaeologist, is very much the 'hot academic' archetype – a smart, brave intellectual, not unlike the Doctor himself, or Indiana Jones for that matter. Her robot companion, Six, serves that classic Doctor Who companion role: asking the audience's questions, demanding explanations. And that magnificent Nebula, with its space rivers and ancient routes, well, that developed 'pretty directly' from the swirling time vortex imagery of Who's opening credits. See? Those creative threads, once woven, often find new patterns.
However, by ditching the *Doctor Who* IP, Inkle gained invaluable creative freedom. They could embrace a 'much more serious and considered tone.' Ingold points out that *Doctor Who*'s 'slapdash world-building' wouldn't have suited *Heaven's Vault*'s need for a truly coherent and impactful history for its Nebula. It's a reminder that sometimes, the constraints of an IP, no matter how beloved, can hold back a truly unique vision. The ability to push their story 'in a lot of different and unusual directions without asking permission' was what truly let *Heaven's Vault* fly.
And fly it did. Ingold has 'no regrets' about the pivot, and honestly, neither do I. *Heaven's Vault* garnered a dedicated community, inspired novels, audio dramas, and even more unannounced projects. It truly opened Inkle up, moving them from IP adaptations to crafting entirely original worlds. This foundational experience then paved the way for games like *A Highland Song* and *Overboard*.
Inkle's secret sauce? It comes down to a 'golden rule' born from their triple-A experience: 'the player is doing what the protagonist is doing, and the protagonist is doing what the player is doing.' No arbitrary cutscenes, no picking up entire trees to craft arrows mid-fight unless it makes narrative sense for the character. It’s a design philosophy that plunges you neck-deep into the story, much like stepping out of the TARDIS into the glorious unknown. It ensures that moment of 'anything could happen,' making every Inkle game feel like a bespoke tabletop RPG session.
They also 'make things quickly, throw things away, and get bored easily,' constantly pushing for fresh ideas. This irreverent approach to their own creative process means we, as players, always get a good story, told interestingly, and never the same game twice. A truly curious and experimental mindset, wouldn't you say?
So, what's next for Inkle? Not *Doctor Who*, alas, but another 'different' game is almost ready for launch. Voice-over galore, a new style of gameplay and narrative, yet still retaining that distinct Inkle character, thoughtful storytelling, and something unique to say. Ingold even told his lead actress to think of the tone as... *Doctor Who*. The spirit, it seems, endures.
It's a cracking story, isn't it? A testament to how creative detours, even those caused by the exasperating silence of corporate behemoths, can lead to entirely new, unexpected, and truly wonderful digital realities. Here's to the adventures we almost had, and the even better ones we ended up getting. Cheerio!
Tags: Inkle, Heaven's Vault, Doctor Who, Game Development, Narrative Games
Original article: Eurogamer