Namco Hometek has won exclusive worldwide rights to publish games based on the Berenstain Bears, the publisher announced today. The move makes Namco the latest to snag an animation-based contract, following Midway's deal to publish Adult Swim games and Take-Two Interactive's acquisition of the Family Guy license. Namco's license allows it to publish Berenstain Bears games for all systems.

　　Created by Stan and Jan Berenstain, the Berenstain Bears stories follow the lives of a friendly family of bears. Berenstain Bears cartoons have aired in more than 50 countries. The line has been spun into books, DVDs, toys, clothes, and accessories.

　　"Knowing Namco’s high-quality reputation...we couldn't have chosen a better partner to make the Berenstain Bears video games a reality," Stan Berenstain said in a statement today. "The...family has been a part of the lives of so many people for more than four decades."

　　Namco didn't say when it expects to launch a Berenstain Bears game, or how many it might produce. The company is also working on bringing other childhood favorites, such as Popeye and Gumby, to game consoles and PCs.