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 should be on the lookout for Walter "softy" and his stinky pants.



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



Players can create the sausage for Gnasher and use all of Dennis' best pranks, including catapults and stink bombs.



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



Mark Cotton, who is responsible for digital transformations at Beano Mark Cotton, who is the head of digital at Beano Newsbeat that Minecraft is "their most fervent passion and their most passionate love"



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



He states that 32,000 comics are sold every week during the Beano that is an acceptable number.



But it's far fewer than the two million copies sold at the height of the magazine's popularity.



Mark says, "We are very conscious that our kids today are passionate about digital."



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



"So we're working on an entire series of articles on the next three to six months."



Some of those initiatives include puzzle apps, an interactive comic, and an "action 3D game for kids".



DC Thompson, The Beano's publisher, has already expanded the brand to include a TV show and a photo-sharing application along with YouTube channel.



Grand Theft Auto?



The comic has been around since 1938 and has plenty of adult fans. The Beano characters could also make an an appearance in adult games, such as Dennis the Menace in Grand Theft Auto.



"No. Offtopichut Mark says, "No.



"We're focussing on the 7-11-year-old digital product at the moment digital for us is about truly engaging with kids and discovering their passions."



They've been working with 10 Minecraft and Beano enthusiasts aged 7-11 during the development process.



Minnie the Minx



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



"This was the beginning of what they imagined. Obviously their imaginations are much greater than we can imagine for the time being.



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



"We'll continue to talk to them. We'd like to extend this and to build Beanotown and let kids be creative.



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



Are there any other characters you might be allowed to see in?



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



"The obvious character and the one that the kids have been wanting is Minnie the Minx so that's what we'd likely look at next."


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