Rovio Entertainment is a Finnish video game development company best known for creating the popular mobile game franchise, Angry Birds. The company was founded in 2003 by three students, and it initially focused on developing games for feature phones. However, it wasn’t until the release of Angry Birds in 2009 that Rovio achieved global success. Since then, the company has released numerous sequels and spin-offs of the game, as well as expanding into other areas such as merchandising and media production.
BBC reports that Rovio Entertainment is being acquired by Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings for EUR706 million (approx. RM3.41 billion), as Sega seeks to expand its presence in the global gaming market by tapping into Rovio’s expertise in mobile gaming.
Rovio is best known for its mobile game franchise, Angry Birds, was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times. In the previous year, the company which operates eight game studios globally with 550 employees, reported that downloads of its various games had surpassed five billion.
Sega plans to use Rovio’s expertise in “live service mobile game operation” to bring its own titles to the global mobile gaming market.
Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field.
I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns ‘Angry Birds’, which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry leading mobile game development and operating capabilities.
Sega Sammy Holdings, CEO, Haruki Satomi
An analyst said Rovio is an attractive asset due to its ownership of one of the strongest brands in mobile games and its useful Beacon mobile gaming platform.
