Picked-up after a fiercely fought 7-way competitive pitch process, Bloc were awarded the commission to produce a new interactive transmedia format for BBC2.

BBC2 was looking to enhance the programming line-up for their teen audience with a new detective genre cartoon series. The format needed to work in two ways, both as an independent TV show and as an enhanced online interactive adventure.

Our response was “Meta4orce – Bio-genetically altered Investigation Team” – a futuristic detective series in which a team of four genetically altered investigators, working for a government-funded organisation called MAKO, go about solving high-profile crime cases in the flooded city of London 2034 AD.

We teamed up with legendary comic book writer Peter Milligan of DC Comics and Marvel fame, who’s credits include work on X-Men, Batman and 2000 AD in order to develop the story, the world and the look and feel for the 360 cartoon series.

The original mutli-platform format, aimed at 12 – 16 year olds, ran as an animation series on BBC 2 throughout June 2008, as well as an interactive animation and gaming format online at BBC.co.uk.

The cartoon mini-series could be watched and enjoyed as a stand-alone TV program, however strong calls to action at the end of each episode encouraged the audience to get involved with the story and visit the official website to help solve the crime.

Once at the website, viewers are able to become MAKO operatives and take part in full integrated online games, developed in tandem with the TV series by the same developers, designers, animators  and actors.

The games, developed in Papervision 3D, help to drive the story forward and immerse the audience in the fiction.

Meta4orce was well received by the target audience and enjoyed a consistently strong audience rating matching or beating the most heavily promoted shows in the BBC Switch line-up. We were also lucky enough to be awarded a BAFTA Nomination for the project recently. Read exclusive interviews with the team here.