Notes

The Beano's Dennis, Gnasher and Walter Join Minecraft

The Beano's Dennis, Gnasher and Walter join Minecraft By Emily Thomas Newsbeat reporter



Minecraft players must look out for "softy" Walter and his stinky pants.
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You can now add Walter, Dennis, the Menace, and Gnasher from The Beano to the PC version of the game.



Players can make a sausage for Gnasher and use all of Dennis' best pranks such as catapults and stink bombs.



It's part of the Beano's larger plans to expand into digital media and its model has emerged from a partnership between the show and Frima Studios, a Canadian multiplatform game developer.



Mark Cotton, who is the head of digital transformation at Beano Mark Cotton, the Beano's digital leader, told Newsbeat that Minecraft is "their most fervent passion and their greatest love"



Mark states that the game is an extension of the comic and an attempt at making The Beano "a more holistic experience" for kids.



He claims that 32,000 comics are sold each week of the Beano which is a healthy number.



It's still a lot less than the two million copies sold at the height of the magazines.



Mark says, "We are very conscious that today's children are passionate about technology."



"We need to turn The Beano into a 360 brand where Dennis and Gnasher is everywhere kids are, instead of expecting them to come to us.



"So we're working on an entire series over the next three to six month."



Some of those initiatives include puzzle games as well as an interactive comic and an "action 3D game for children".



The Beano's publisher DC Thompson has already extended the brand to a TV show, a photo-sharing app and YouTube channel.



Grand Theft Auto?



The comic's been in existence since 1938 and has a lot of adult fans. The Beano characters might also make appearances in adult games, like Dennis the Menace in Grand Theft Auto.



"No. That's not something we'd focus on right now," says Mark.



"We're focusing on the 7-11-year-old digital product - at the moment digital for us is about truly engaging with children and knowing their interests."



In order to accomplish this, they've consulted a group of 10 seven to 11-year-old Beano and Minecraft fans throughout the development process.



Minnie the Minx?



"We mostly asked children, 'If Beano were to appear in Minecraft What would it look like?'



"This was their first step towards imagining what they desired. Their imaginations are able to go beyond what we can do right now.



"But they were looking for pranks. They wanted Walter, Gnasher and Dennis. They got them.



"We'll continue to talk to them. We'd like to expand this and build Beanotown so that children can be creative.



"Minecraft is so popular because it gives the power to children. We cannot force children to do something and they'd be resistant.



Will other characters also be featured?



"We definitely want to expand it," says Mark.



"Minnie the Minx is the obvious character and the one that the kids have been asking about so that's what I'd probably consider next."


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