YARS News - 27/03/2008

Bella Sara's world of inspirational fantasy horses and positive messaging to come to game screens in Q4.

Thursday, March 27th (2pm GMT/UK) – Strengthening its casual entertainment portfolio Codemasters®, a leading creator and publisher of video games, today announced that it has secured the rights to introduce Bella Sara™, the award-winning trading cards and online world for girls, to the video game market.

In a worldwide licensing agreement with Granada Ventures, the merchandise, licensing and publishing division of the UK's largest commercial broadcaster ITVplc, and Hidden City Games, Inc., the Seattle-based game and entertainment company, Codemasters will publish Bella Sara video games for Nintendo DS™ and PC in Q4, 2008.

Bella Sara is a phenomenon amongst 5–12-year old girls and has sold over 40 million trading cards worldwide since the series debuted in 2007. Each Bella Sara card features a fairytale-like illustration of a horse along with a positive and inspirational message for young girls, such as "Beauty comes from within" or "Be the hero in your own story". A unique code on every card activates a virtual horse that can be cared for in the Bella Sara online world at www.bellasara.com. The site, which features hundreds of virtual horses, a variety of age-appropriate casual games, customizable cottages, puzzles, colouring books, interactive stories and more has amassed more than 2 million registered users from 240 countries.

"As the leading card and online property for young girls, Bella Sara is a proven success and the perfect addition to Codemasters' casual entertainment category," said Leon Sanders, Brand Manager, Casual Entertainment, Codemasters.
"Signing Bella Sara extends our portfolio to the young female gaming market and, with the immensely popular online world of Bella Sara, the property brings an established computer-friendly audience that already understands its unique, creative playing experience."

"We're delighted to be working with Codemasters on this exceptional brand", commented Melanie Beer, Head of Licensing, Granada Ventures. "We look forward to seeing the world of Bella Sara come alive as console and PC games."

As Nintendo DS and PC titles, the Bella Sara games will immerse players in an interactive world of fantasy horses. Players will be able to ride, care for, accessorise and trade the horses with friends whilst discovering secret items and exclusive cards to activate on the official website. For more information on Bella Sara, please visit www.bellasara.com