Codemasters Licenses Bella Sara for DS and PC Games

Bella Sara, the horse-themed collectible card series and virtual world published by Hidden City Games, has already expanded its merchandising line up to include toys. Now it's getting a series of games for the PC and Nintendo DS as well. Codemasters, which established online credentials as a publisher of Lord of the Rings Online. has secured the licensing rights in a worldwide agreement with Hidden City and Granada Ventures, the merchandise, licensing and publishing division of UK  broadcaster ITVplc. "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,"  Leon Sanders, Brand Manager, Casual Entertainment, Codemasters, said in a statement. "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."

Other kids  worlds, like Neopets, have seen their brands extended to more traditional video games, but it's a positive sign for Bella Sara that it's one of the few virtual worlds to get the treatment. But with over 2 million registered users in 240 countries, it looks like the brand has legs.

The games sound similar in experience to the Web-based world, allowing users to take care of  horses, ride,  accessorize through finding exclusive cards that are activated online, and trade with friends.

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