Mr. Bean

Blast entertainment, part of the Mastertronic Group have today announced the release of Mr. Bean on Nintendo DS.

The DS version follows the release of Blast Entertainment’s Mr Bean Sony PS2 game that hit retail in November last year, which still sells consistently well and continues to earn a place in the Chart track top 40 PS2 budget chart each week.

Mr.Bean , who burst onto our television screens in 1990 has established himself as one of the world’s most popular character brands. The live action and animated Mr. Bean TV series have been in distribution around the world for 17 years and are currently broadcast in more than 60 territories. Mr. Bean’s Holiday was released in more than 66 countries around the world in March 2007, grossing more than US$230 million at the Box Office and reaching no.1 in 28 countries around the world.

The game includes 12 fun-packed levels full of cunning puzzles to encounter and crazy traps to avoid. Dress up as a pirate on your mission to save teddy and battle baddies with fyring pans while negotiating your way through exciting 3D locations. The Nintendo touch screen techonolgy is utilised in the exclusive Whack a mole event! 92% of children under 11 are great Mr.Bean fans and 67% of children under 11 watch the TV series regularly, according to Film Audience Research and so the game has been developed to specifically target this younger audience.

Blast’s Head of Marketing, Kirsty Payne commented: “We are delighted to be bringing Mr. Bean to Nintendo DS. Both brands are currently enjoying huge sales at retail and combining them is great news for consumers. Such is the popularity of this title, that we are planning to release a Wii version later this year”

#ENDS #

About Tiger Aspect Productions:

Tiger Aspect Productions, an IMG Media company, is internationally recognised as one of the UK's most successful and prolific independent television producers. The company portfolio includes animation, comedy, drama, entertainment and factual genres.

Tiger creates a wide range of critically acclaimed and award-winning programming for all the UK's major terrestrial and non-terrestrial broadcasters. In addition the company’s creative output now enjoys an increasingly high profile in the USA through its commissions for major stateside networks.

Tiger's production slate includes primetime mainstream successes for BBC ONE and ITV such as Robin Hood, Murphy's Law, Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry and Paul, Mr Bean, The Vicar of Dibley and The Lenny Henry Show.

These are complemented by a varied and genre defining range of programming for BBC TWO, Channel 4, Five, Sky, MTV and BBC THREE.

Other successes include the reality series Make Me A Supermodel, comedy series The Catherine Tate Show and Benidorm, Mark Haddon’s critically acclaimed one-off Coming Down The Mountain, Low Winter Sun, Recovery, and factual series Howard Goodall’s How Music Works, Diet Doctors, Chaos at the Chateau and An Island Parish. Other notable programmes include the animated children’s series Charlie and Lola ( www.charlieandlola.com). Current factual attractions include Cook Yourself Thin for Channel 4 and Benidorm Unpacked for ITV.

Tiger’s programming is built on a hot-bed of the best on offer in UK talent. The company’s belief in nurturing and supporting creativity on every level means that Tiger consistently attracts the UK's ultimate in on-screen, writing and production talent. This has resulted in further brand extension with Tiger enjoying global recognition through film, (Tiger Aspect Pictures – Billy Elliot), theatre (Our House – Madness Musical) and regional programming (Bristol based Tigress Productions).

All these constituents combined with on-going development and reversioning of Tiger programmes and formats for international broadcasters and producers make sure that Tiger Aspect remains a major player in today’s highly competitive broadcast sector.

IMG is the world’s premier sports, entertainment and media company, comprising IMG Sports & Entertainment, which includes its client representation, event ownership and management, models and fashion businesses - and IMG Media, a global leader in the production, delivery and distribution of traditional and new media content and services. This newly forged relationship is already providing more avenues of opportunity for Tiger Aspect’s programme makers who have access to the vast resources and archives held by IMG and IMG Media , ensuring that Tiger continues to be a global leader in pioneering film and programme making.

About Blast! Entertainment Limited - Blast! is the leading video game company exclusively aimed at the younger end of the kids market. We develop new content based on recognised family friendly licenses from movies, TV, classic characters and toys. Parents can be sure that our content is safe and accessible for their kids and good value for money. Kids can be sure that the games are fun and challenging for their age group.

Blast Entertainment is a subsidiary of the Mastertronic Group Limited - Mastertronic is one of the best known electronic entertainment brands in Europe. It pioneered the European console market with its launch of the Sega Master System, invented the budget retail sector and built an international development and publishing operation under the Virgin Mastertronic label. The brand was subsequently re-launched as The Mastertronic Group Limited in 2003 by founder Frank Herman, together with Andy Payne and Garry Williams. The Group now leads the European value publishing sector through its retail brands M.A.D. (Mastertronic Added Dimension), Sold Out (the UK's largest-selling budget operation, acquired by the Group in 2004) and PC Gamer Presents, a unique quality-assured brand in association with the leading games magazine publisher Future Publishing. The Group also offers, through its wholly owned subsidiary The Producers Limited (also acquired in 2004), a 'cradle to grave' total turnkey service for physical product, from marketing through packaging and warehousing, to retail and digital distribution. More recently in 2006, Blast Entertainment was launched as part of the group and has rapidly become a leading video game company exclusively aimed at the younger end of the kids market. Blast develops new content based on recognised family friendly licenses from films, TV, classic characters and toys and publishes on a variety of formats including PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and more recently, Nintendo Wii. In 2007 Just Flight, and its sister company Just Trains, the leading worldwide simulation specialists, were acquired by the group. Just Flight was established in 1995, and within three years became the world’s largest publisher of flight simulation software outside of Microsoft, with a reputation for high quality products, published by genuine enthusiasts.