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 need to look out for "softy" Walter and his stinky pants.



You can now add Walter, Dennis, the Menace and Gnasher from The Beano to the PC version of the game.



Gnasher can be made as a sausage by players, and all of Dennis the pranks, such as stink bombs and catapults, are a possibility to use.



It's part of the Beano's wider plans to expand into digital and its game has been born from a collaboration between the cartoon and Frima Studios, a Canadian multiplatform game developer.



Mark Cotton, who is responsible for digital transformations at Beano Mark Cotton, the Beano's digital leader, told Newsbeat that Minecraft is "their most fervent passion and their most passionate love"



Mark says that the game is an extension of the comic and a way of making The Beano "a more holistic experience" for children.



"Roughly 32,000 comics are sold every week at the Beano which is an impressive number," he says.



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



"We are very aware kids today are obsessed with digital technology," says Mark.



"We have to transform The Beano into an all-encompassing brand where Dennis and Gnasher is everywhere children are, instead expecting that they will come to us.



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



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



DC Thompson, The Beano's publisher has already expanded The Beano brand to a television show and a photo-sharing app as well as a YouTube channel.



Grand Theft Auto?



The comic's been around since 1938 and has plenty of adult fans. Also, could the Beano characters be featured in any adult-oriented games? Dennis the Menace in Grand Theft Auto perhaps?



"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 is about engaging with children and understanding their passions."



They've been working with a group of 10 Minecraft and Beano fans aged 7-11 throughout the creation process.
msmadrid's blog


Minnie the Minx?



"We mostly asked children"If you could put Beano into Minecraft, what do you think you would see?



"This was the initial stage of what they envisioned. Their imaginations can stretch far beyond what we can do today.



"But they wanted to play pranks. They wanted Walter, Gnasher and Dennis. They got them.



"We'll continue to communicate with them. Our goal is to expand this and to build Beanotown and let kids be creative.



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



Will any other characters get a glimpse?



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



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


My Website: https://msmadrid.org/