Rachel Lowe
Encyclopedia
Rachel Tanya Lowe MBE
(born 1977) is an English board games developer. She attended the University of Portsmouth
in order to earn a law degree. As a student she had a part time job as a taxi driver which is when she came up with the idea of the board game Destination Portsmouth
. She continued the idea Destination London
, which is now one of the top selling games at Hamleys
, beating Monopoly
and Twister
.
She appeared on the BBC2 television show Dragons' Den
in the UK where her pitch for investment was rejected. However, she believes the exposure was what enabled her to succeed with the board game, even though the investors on the show criticised her in a variety of ways.
The Destination game can be made specific to places and events. Destination has now been reworked for London, Paris, Suffolk, Scotland, Norwich - and so on. This appeals to tourists and to locals who like to own a game which puts their locality "on the map". Because riding in a taxi is an experience universal to every city, the game can be tailored to any part of the world.
Lowe continues to develop the game, taking it in different directions. Working independently, she negotiated a deal with The Walt Disney Corporation in order to bring their Pixar
CGI characters to one version of the game. This version she calls Destination Animation.
At the end of October 2008, she released Destination Hogwarts after negotiation with Warner Bros.
. This fully licensed edition of the game is set in Hogwarts, the school in which J K Rowling set her famous Harry Potter stories. The players are students at the school, amassing House Points on their journeys around it.
Lowe was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
Despite signs of success RTL Games Ltd went into administration in May 2009. BBC Panorama featured an episode on Rachel Lowe which explored the causes of the business' failure after problems following the launch of the Harry Potter game, Destination Hogwarts.
Rachel is now working on a new project with Simon Dolan
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1977) is an English board games developer. She attended the University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
in order to earn a law degree. As a student she had a part time job as a taxi driver which is when she came up with the idea of the board game Destination Portsmouth
Destination (game)
Destination is a board game first published in 2004 by R.T.L Ltd. Players compete as taxi drivers to acquire play money by moving from destination to destination using dice....
. She continued the idea Destination London
Destination (game)
Destination is a board game first published in 2004 by R.T.L Ltd. Players compete as taxi drivers to acquire play money by moving from destination to destination using dice....
, which is now one of the top selling games at Hamleys
Hamleys
Hamleys is one of the world's largest toy shops. Its flagship store is in Regent Street, London. Major stores worldwide are in Dublin, Dubai, Amman, Glasgow, Mumbai and Chennai....
, beating Monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
and Twister
Twister (game)
Twister is a game of physical skill produced by Hasbro Games. It is played on a large plastic mat that is spread on the floor or ground. The mat has four rows of large colored circles on it with a different color in each row: red, yellow, blue, and green. A spinner is attached to a square board...
.
She appeared on the BBC2 television show Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den
Dragons' Den is a series of reality television programmes featuring entrepreneurs pitching their business ideas in order to secure investment finance from a panel of venture capitalists. The show originated in Japan as "Manē no Tora"...
in the UK where her pitch for investment was rejected. However, she believes the exposure was what enabled her to succeed with the board game, even though the investors on the show criticised her in a variety of ways.
The Destination game can be made specific to places and events. Destination has now been reworked for London, Paris, Suffolk, Scotland, Norwich - and so on. This appeals to tourists and to locals who like to own a game which puts their locality "on the map". Because riding in a taxi is an experience universal to every city, the game can be tailored to any part of the world.
Lowe continues to develop the game, taking it in different directions. Working independently, she negotiated a deal with The Walt Disney Corporation in order to bring their Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
CGI characters to one version of the game. This version she calls Destination Animation.
At the end of October 2008, she released Destination Hogwarts after negotiation with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
. This fully licensed edition of the game is set in Hogwarts, the school in which J K Rowling set her famous Harry Potter stories. The players are students at the school, amassing House Points on their journeys around it.
Lowe was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 Birthday Honours.
Despite signs of success RTL Games Ltd went into administration in May 2009. BBC Panorama featured an episode on Rachel Lowe which explored the causes of the business' failure after problems following the launch of the Harry Potter game, Destination Hogwarts.
Rachel is now working on a new project with Simon Dolan
Simon Dolan (businessman)
Simon Dolan is a British businessman and entrepreneur who is involved in financial industries, as well as an interest in the aviation and motoring industries...
.