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The UK broadcaster has plans to return to the gaming world, after several years absence, with the iPhone being their choice for broader-appeal products and Nintendo consoles for their younger-audience material.  To show their serious intent, BBC Worldwide have hired Robert Nashak, a former EA executive who has also worked with Acclaim, Disney Online and Glu Mobile, as Executive Vice President of their Digital Entertainment branch.

So, what can we expect to see from the BBC?  Neil Ross Russell, who heads Children’s and Licensing says that this is not an opportunistic move and that everything they create will be used to build brands, so we can expect games based around big BBC names such as Top Gear and Doctor Who.

For those who may not remember, the BBC have had a checkered past with the games industry, with perhaps more misses to their name than hits.  However, they are actively looking for experience outside of the BBC and are soliciting for new business model ideas, so perhaps this time, they will make the most of the opportunity.

At this stage, there doesn’t seem to be anything in development, so an iPhone game where we can drive cars round the Top Gear track may be a while away.