He's been dropped into most every gaming mechanic this side of shooters, but now The Doctor is getting a full-fledged Flash-based MMORPG courtesy The BBC and San Francisco indie game company Three Rings. Designed as a free-to-play title that encourages social gameplay, Doctor Who: Worlds in Time, is currently expected to launch by the end of the year and although players won't get to play as the current 11th Doctor, they will get to ride in the TARDIS.

From the official press release:
For the first time ever, players from around the world will be able to follow in the footsteps of the eccentric and brilliant Doctor by traveling through time and space, exploring new worlds and encountering many alien races, both friend and foe. Titled Doctor Who: Worlds in Time, the game allows players to enter the TARDIS and be set a challenge by the mysterious Time Lord to help him defend civilized culture against infamous Doctor Who enemies.

Robert Nashak, EVP Digital Entertainment at BBC Worldwide says, "Doctor Who: Worlds in Time will be a free-to-play multiplayer online game that invites players to save the universe by using their wits to solve time-bending puzzles and pulse-pounding challenges. Three Rings is the ideal team for this groundbreaking creative partnership. Not only are they visionaries in the online gaming space, they are lifelong Doctor Who fans with a passion for delivering the level of quality that our players will expect and deserve."
I'm jealous of fans in the UK pretty much every time a proper Doctor Who videogame is licensed by the BBC. Sometimes the games are awesome (The Adventure Games) and I'm bummed I have to wait a bit for an American release. Other times the games are so bad (Evacuation Earth and Return to Earth) they don't even get imported and I'm kept from joining my fellow disappointed fans in whining about it online. With any luck, The Doctor's first MMO outing will live up to collective fan expectations and allow players from all geographic corners of Who fandom join the fray around the same time.

[Via io9]