s i d Bir ord w e h t Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded mobile game of all time – three billion downloads and counting - it is a global entertainment brand engaging with fans across publishing, merchandising, animation, visitor attractions and soon, a movie. Not bad for brand that is just five years old.
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ovio’s Angry Birds began with just a simple screenshot of an unhappy round bird with a big yellow beak, thick eyebrows and a slightly crazed expression. When Rovio games developer Jaakko Iisalo, presented this idea to the team back in 2009,
everyone was very excited. The actual gameplay still needed to be worked out, but the team knew they were onto something. Angry Birds wasn’t the first game from Rovio, it was in fact the 52nd since the company formed in 2003 (when it was called Relude).
You’re free to play Angry Birds Rovio built its fortune on the premium game model which was popular when Angry Birds was first released, where players paid for the game once, then played forever. The market has since moved to the free to play model, where players download and play the game for free, but can make in-app purchases to enhance the gameplay. Alex acknowledges that Rovio was a late entrant to the free to play model, but now sees it is the way to go. “People have a choice of paying or not paying. There are a lot of options and getting the balance right so we can continue to develop great games is important, for both our fans and Rovio.” RIGHT: All Rovio’s games are now free to play with the option of making in-app purchases.
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TOP: The Angry Birds Movie out in May 2016 will take the brand to a whole new level. ABOVE: Alex Lambeek, Rovio’s chief commercial officer.
When Angry Birds was released for iPhone in December 2009 it went to number one in Finland almost overnight. Apple featured the game in the App Store in February 2010 and the game went to number one in the UK and US. Five years on, three billion downloads later and a movie in the making, Angry Birds is now a global gaming and entertainment sensation that shows no signs of slowing down. “When the original Angry Birds game came out in 2009 there was something of a ‘right thing at the
Angry Birds
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