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Rovio: "We’re bigger and stronger than ever"

EVP of Games Wilhelm Taht discusses the growth of the Angry Birds maker

Rovio: "We’re bigger and stronger than ever"

Rovio is bigger and stronger than ever, says Rovio EVP of Games Wilhelm Taht following record revenues in 2017.

Opening Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2017, Taht discussed the growth of both Rovio and the mobile games industry at large over the last few years.

Mobile gaming is now the biggest form of gaming entertainment and the fastest growing form of entertainment overall, he said.

He highlighted App Annie forecasts that suggest the industry is growing rapidly and mobile game end user revenues could hit $105 billion by 2021.

Premium to F2P

Taht said he believes this growth is down to the sheer number of smartphones in the hands of consumers, some 2.6 billion mobile devices, with players willing to spend more money as mobile gaming becomes a culturally accepted form of entertainment, and the F2P model extending the lifecycle of games.

He compared the launches of premium title Angry Birds Space in 2012 to Angry Birds 2 in 2015. The former had a stronger launch in terms of revenues, but overtime Angry Birds Space's revenues dropped while Angry Birds 2’s revenues continue to grow.

Taht said Rovio believes Angry Birds 2 still has its best days ahead of it and that the F2P model is much more predictable and stable than premium ever was.

Since 2016 Rovio has gradually become more aggressive with its user acquisition strategy and over the last 12 months it has invested $45 million, significantly up from $20 million last year, and all thanks to what Rovio says are strong KPIs for its portfolio of titles that also includes Angry Birds Evolultion, Battle Bay and now Angry Birds Match.

Taht didn't say too much about the recently announced plans for an IPO that could see the company valued at $1 billion - but we'll be posting an interview with more on that later this week.

But it comes at a time when Rovio’s revenues are higher than ever and its KPIs for its various titles are also better than they’ve ever been.


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Craig Chapple is a freelance analyst, consultant and writer with specialist knowledge of the games industry. He has previously served as Senior Editor at PocketGamer.biz, as well as holding roles at Sensor Tower, Nintendo and Develop.