Rovio

SAN FRANCISCO--Andrew Stalbow of Rovio, after revealing some stats on the success of Angry Birds at the Web 2.0 Summit here, let drop that a new bird is coming in the October update of Angry Bird Seasons.

Stalbow did not say what the bird would be, just that the game has been providing hints to users in recent updates and ancillary products. A slide he displayed of the Mighty Eagle bird showed a small, duckling-like yellow bird in the corner, which may be the new bird. But more on this as it develops.

As for those stats, Stalbow reeled … Read more

Angry Birds maker Rovio could go public next year, according to the company's chief marketing officer and "Mighty Eagle," Peter Vesterbacka.

"We're not ready to file for an IPO tomorrow," Vesterbacka told Bloomberg Television in an interview published today. "Maybe a year from now." He went on to say that his company is valued at around $1 billion, and would likely go public on that valuation if and when it files its papers for an IPO.

Rovio is best known for its Angry Birds mobile game--which Vesterbacka told Bloomberg has seen 400 … Read more

You may have noticed a distinct lack of Angry Birds in your Audubon guide. Fortunately, artist Mohamed Raoof has you covered with a series of naturalized Angry Birds digital portraits.

Some of the feathery subjects look like something you might spot hanging out on the bird feeder in your back yard this winter. So cute.… Read more

A new series of Angry Birds iPhone/iPod/iPad speaker docks is winging its way over from accessories maker Gear4.

The units feature a red Angry Bird ($79.99), an explosive black Angry Bird ($99.99), or an evil helmet-wearing pig ($99.99). Each includes a 2.1 speaker, power adaptor, 3.5 mm line-in cable, and 3.5 mm port. Though Gear4 is hyping the products' release now, they're not available just yet as "coming soon..." is splashed across the Gear4 Web site.

We've already seen Angry Birds plush toys, T-shirts, bras, Halloween costumes, stickers, and amusement park attractions, to name just a handful of tie-ins to the Rovio game.

These new Gear4 speakers might be excellent products, but the onslaught of Angry Birds gear is starting to give the popular game that Disney/Star Wars/Mario Brothers uber-merchandised feel. Kind of makes you wonder how far away Mighty Eagle Condoms might be.… Read more

The Angry Birds perpetual merchandising machine keeps right on rolling toward All Hallow's Eve.

By now, the never-ending battle between egg-addicted swine and those vengeful, victimized avian avatars is certainly a more well-known feud than the respective tiffs between the Montagues and Capulets, the Hatfields and the McCoys, or even the North and the South.

So, having eclipsed such centuries-old cultural touchstones, it's probably about time we started dressing our kids up like chubby green pigs and pissed-off birds and sending them over to the neighbors' place to beg for corn syrup in all its assorted forms. Who's with me?… Read more

Rovio is closing in on a deal with Starbucks that will bring the company's famed franchise, Angry Birds, into the coffee shops.

According to an interview Bloomberg conducted with Rovio Senior Vice President Wibe Wagemans, the Angry Birds maker could soon bring electronic leader boards to Starbucks stores to promote top-scoring players. In addition, the companies will offer Starbucks customers exclusive in-store promotions, including virtual goods.

"It's tying in the real world with the virtual world," Wagemans told Bloomberg. "Retailers get new customers who've not been to their stores yet, and repeat customers."… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference here today, Angry Birds publisher Rovio's new general manager of North America danced around the big question on Rovio's future growth. That question: What can Rovio do other than extend on Angry Birds?

During an onstage interview, Andrew Stalbow kept bringing the discussion back to the success of Angry Birds itself, and all its offshoots. He rattled off impressive stats: Angry Birds games get 300 million minutes of gameplay a day, and the company is selling a million T-shirts and a million plush toys a month.

But what's next for Rovio? &… Read more

It looks like Angry Birds developer Rovio is thinking, "If you can't beat 'em (by firing one of those toucan-beaked boomerang birds at them in court), join 'em.

It's not a big scoop that Angry Birds is already an international phenomenon complete with multiple sequels and lots of merchandise.

When reports circulated that the Window of the World theme game in Changsha, China, launched a real-life version of the game this month, legal action from Rovio seemed inevitable.

However, rather than sending an exploding black ball of feathers into Beijing, Rovio is reportedly looking to partner with the theme park to make the attraction legal--as long as everyone involved can get their beaks wet. … Read more

Angry Birds has been a breakout success for Finnish developer Rovio, and a new report says the company is considering capitalizing on that by taking a strategic investment that would put its value at around $1.2 billion.

Citing two people with knowledge of private discussions, Bloomberg reported today that Rovio is in investment talks with "a company in the entertainment business," who's looking to get a piece of the action.

In early March, Rovio announced that it secured $42 million in funding as part of a Series A round led by venture capital firms Accel Partners … Read more