Death In Sakkara
BBC
Goals
The BBC produced a four-part TV drama about the discovery of tombs and relics of ancient Egypt in the 1920’s, recreating events surrounding the exciting archaeological finds of the time. A key requirement was to develop an online experience which captured imaginations and gave the subject of Egyptology more longevity than the TV show could provide.
Developing a parallel narrative was the logical way of reaching and engaging the target audience, with the main stipulation being that everything was based in historical fact, whilst also being entertaining and immersive, bringing the story of discovering ancient Egypt to life.
Solution
Rather than emulating the show itself, we developed an interactive narrative that was capable of working both as a standalone experience and as value-added content for the television series, giving the site longevity beyond the broadcast dates. Death in Sakkara tells the story of a journalist drawn into intrigue and danger as he searches for a missing friend. Presented in the style of a pulp-fiction comic-book of the era it is steeped in a dark ‘Indiana Jones’ tone.
Games and puzzles along the way push the player through a story packed full of surprises and plot twists, all developed and scripted in conjunction with the BBC Factual and Learning team and Egyptology experts.
Importantly the game educates and informs throughout. An interactive journal is filled with Charles’ thoughts and observations as the player progresses, quickly becoming a compendium of Egyptology, which can be checked at any time. It yields vital clues critical to success, as well as background information on items and events encountered along the way. Using this and their guile the player must see the quest through to its grisly conclusion.
Results
More than 75,000 individuals signed up to play Death in Sakkara in the first two months placing it among the BBC’s most successful registration-based sites almost immediately.
Over a quarter of a million people played as unregistered guests in the first month, with 60% of players recommended the game to friends. A survey of users revealed that more than half were women and 42% were under 26 years old; both groups not traditionally BBC History audiences, whilst not alienating older audiences. 84% of players said that they learned something about Egyptology through playing Death in Sakkara, and three quarters of those went on to explore other content on the BBC History site as a result.