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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 should be on the watch for Walter "softy" 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 the sausage for Gnasher and play with all of Dennis' best pranks such as catapults and stink bombs.



It's part of the Beano's bigger plans to expand into digital. The mod was developed as a collaboration between the cartoonist and Frima Studios, which is a Canadian multi-platform game maker.



Mark Cotton, who is leading the Beano's digital changes Mark Cotton, who is leading the Beano's digital changes, explained to Newsbeat: "If you talk to any 7 to 11-year-old kid Minecraft is their biggest passion and love."



Mark says the game is an "extension" of The Beano comic and an attempt to make The Beano "a more overall experience" for children.



"Roughly 32,000 comics are sold every week at the Beano which is a very healthy number," he says.



However, it's a lot less than the two million magazines sold at the height of the magazine's popularity.



"We are very aware kids today have a passion for digital media," says Mark.



"We must transform The Beano into a 360-degree brand where Dennis and Gnasher is everywhere that children are, instead of expecting that they will come to us.



"So we're working on a number of initiatives over the next three to six months."



Some of them include puzzle games as well as interactive comics and an "action 3-D game for children".



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



Grand Theft Auto?



The comic's been in existence since 1938 and has plenty of adult fans. Also, could the Beano characters make an appearance in any of the adult games? Dennis the Menace in Grand Theft Auto perhaps?



"No. We don't have anything to focus on right now," says Mark.



"We are focussing on the 7-11 year old digital product. In the present, digital is all about connecting with children and understanding their interests.



They've been working with a group of 10 Minecraft and Beano fans aged 7-11 during the development process.



Minnie the Minx?



"We basically asked our kids, 'If you put Beano into Minecraft What do you think?'



"This was the initial stage of what they had in mind. Their imaginations can go far beyond what we can do today.



"But they wanted pranks. They wanted Walter, Gnasher and Dennis. That's what they got.



"We'll keep talking to them. Our goal is to expand this and build Beanotown and let children be creative.



"Minecraft is so popular as it gives children the power. We can't force the children to do something, and they would reject it.



Will other characters also get a look in?



"We certainly want to extend it," says Mark.



"Minnie the Minx is the obvious persona and the one the kids have been asking about. So I'm going to look at next."


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