Angry Birds Bounce game lead talks brick breaker genre, development under Sega and "a great deal of interest on Apple Arcade"

Angry Birds is a series requiring little introduction. What began as a physics-based game about flinging spherical birds at equally spherical pigs soon became Finnish developer Rovio’s flagship franchise, taking the world by storm shortly after launch in 2009.

In over 15 years since, that hit game has spawned sequels, spinoffs and merchandise. It’s even flocked to the big screen, with a movie series set to become a trilogy.

Now, another new mobile game is on the horizon, as Angry Birds Bounce launches July 3rd, 2025.

That means there’s no better time for us to get the inside scoop from game lead Bryan Cook, who shares all about Angry Birds Bounce’s gameplay mechanics, how Apple Arcade exclusivity impacts design philosophy, and developing the series’ first game under Sega’s ownership.

He also explains why now is the right time for a new title, three years on from the series’ last entry.

"I've been with Rovio since September 2021, when the Toronto studio was opened, and from the very beginning our goal was to find a way to make a game that felt like Angry Birds, but different," says Cook.

"The truth is it’s been a few years since there’s been an Angry Birds game. And based on what we hear from the community, there’s always a hunger for more Angry Birds, so I think now’s as good a time as any."

Birds of a feather on Apple Arcade

Angry Birds Bounce follows in the footsteps (or talon-steps) of Angry Birds Journey, the most recent release in the series which was lauded in 2022 for its return to slingshot-based gameplay.

Bounce is keeping that slingshot intact, though recalibrated vertically for brick breaker-esque gameplay.

It also follows 2021’s Angry Birds Reloaded as an Apple Arcade exclusive, meaning only paying subscribers to Apple’s service will be able to engage with the upcoming release. Cooks says that this decision was made two years ago in a time when "there was a great deal of interest on Apple Arcade for more Angry Birds games or content in general".

"I think Apple was obviously happy with the performance of Reloaded," he adds.

Rovio already knows through Reloaded that subscribed players are interested in the franchise, making Apple Arcade a "good fit" for Bounce.

Cook reveals that the development teams behind Bounce and Reloaded have been working together "fairly closely". It’s been a helpful process and the teams don’t see each other’s games as future competitors.

"I think we figure that the more great Angry Birds games get added, the more great Angry Birds experiences there are. I would be lying if I said we hadn’t thought about cannibalisation, but at least right now, what we believe is that there's a hunger for more Angry Birds."

Launching on Apple Arcade means Bounce has no in-game monetisation, which has also helped temper any concerns around cannibalisation because Bounce won’t require players’ wallets to succeed, only their time.

Cook is optimistic that Apple Arcade subscribers will find the time to play Bounce without dropping Reloaded.

Brick-breaking the mould

Angry Birds Bounce is not only swapping horizontal play for vertical but is also exploring a new genre for the series, with its slingshot launching birds in vertical zig-zag patterns, brick breaker style. We ask Cook why this direction was chosen.

"It’s clear from those who engage at the community level that the original slingshot games are dear to fans’ hearts. There are a number of games fulfilling that need, so our thought was - is there something we can do that still feels like the original game but also shifts it a little bit? What else can Angry Birds be? Is there something interesting we can try?" he answers.

"When we first started the studio, we were sort of experimenting with games that feel like Angry Birds but aren't. I’ve been a fan of the brick breaker genre for a long, long time, and because I'm such a fan, it naturally came up as a possibility to experiment with - how we could use the birds' personalities and that sort of stuff. But it was part of a pool of 100 ideas."

Cook recalls that a brick breaker-esque Angry Birds was the second idea discussed with any level of seriousness, and that from the pool of possibilities and prototypes, the genre was finally selected "when it came time to work with Apple Arcade" about 18 months later.

"We knew that we were going to make an Angry Birds game, and we were experimenting with a bunch of things, so it was really a narrowing process. A brick breaker was something we still had passion for - certainly I did - and it seems like it fits the brand really well. But also, just because there wasn't that kind of game already on the platform."

Bounce's brick breaker genre has also been paired with a roguelike progression system.

Each run, a player will start by selecting one Champion and as they progress, a random array of other birds will become available to choose from to grow the flock. Different birds will open up new strategies, with players deciding who to progress with based on their skills and which work best together.

Cook gives the example of Matilda, the classic white bird who typically drops an egg as she flies. Since Bounce doesn’t have the same downward physics as traditional Angry Birds titles, she now has new egg-related skills like launching them directly from the slingshot.

Strategically, she pairs well with Chuck, the fast yellow flier who’s been reimagined as a DPS character. He’s Cook’s favourite bird in Bounce for his ability to damage all pigs in a continuous line, as well as having the chance to electrify them, causing extra damage.

"It isn't big and explosive, but over time it just makes you a little bit OP which I think is great," Cook explains.

"The Champion gives you an Ultimate ability you can trigger, but each bird has a passive ability, in a sense. As you grow your flock each of those birds will use their passive ability as well."

An additional level of strategy comes in the form of charms, which grant bonuses like an extra hit on row three or 50% more damage after 50 hits, for example.

Ruling the roost

As well as a new gameplay style, Cook discusses the visual design decisions behind Angry Birds Bounce and how its playable roster was selected - the largest in series history. Considerations included which birds are important to the fanbase, how to tackle gender disparity and bringing in new additions.

Ruby, for example, was added as another female bird for the roster. As mascot Red’s younger sister, she has appeared in Angry Birds media previously but has never been a fully playable bird until now. Gordon, meanwhile, is a brand-new character inspired by Canada; the game is being developed by Rovio's Toronto studio, after all.

At the same time, Cook notes that some design decisions pull from the classics. For example, the original spherical bird designs were chosen over their anthropomorphic iterations because they blend well with brick breaker gameplay and embody the core brand identity.

"We put a lot of thought into which versions of the birds to use, how this fits into the grander narrative, that sort of thing," he explains.

"In the zeitgeist, when most people close their eyes and think of Angry Birds, they think of a red ball with a beak and some eyes and some big eyebrows."

He also reflects on the history of Angry Birds, "old enough that it was there at the infancy of some of the models that we've seen on mobile like free-to-play". And, Cooks suggests that in some ways, Apple Arcade echoes earlier models "where you’re just sort of there to play a game".

"It’s been cool for us to take all the things we’ve discovered over the last 15 years and say - what works and what doesn’t? I think we actually harken back a little bit too, to some of those earlier days, while still taking advantage of a lot of modern innovations."

An acquired age

Finally, we discuss Angry Birds Bounce as the series’ first game developed under Sega’s ownership, following the $775 million acquisition of Rovio which was completed in August 2023.

Technically, development on Bounce began just before the deal was signed, as Cook discloses these events were "literally weeks apart". Rovio has remained at the helm of Bounce’s development since, but Sega has been present in a supportive role, answering any questions Rovio might have.

For future projects, Cook confirms that Rovio ideates independently but projects must now be greenlit by Sega. Similarly, the new parent must approve of any contract before it can be signed. He adds that the level of Sega’s involvement will likely depend on the project.

We ask if the relationship between the studios could lead to IP crossovers in Bounce, an idea that Cook shares has already factored into conversations. There’s "nothing like that planned" currently, but he is "open to it".

"There is definitely an amorphous bubble - a plan for way in the future," he reveals.

"We will definitely explore it, because we're Sega fans just like everybody else, and if we can find an opportunity to do something cool that we think fans would like, then I think that's certainly something we'll try."

And, now Sega’s subsidiary, we ask whether Cook foresees Rovio making games for other platforms outside of mobile entirely.

"You know what? I don't know," he says. "I think that right now in the industry, everybody is looking for opportunities, but I'm not aware of anything like that."

As for now, Angry Birds Bounce’s launch is just days away, with familiar faces Red, Matilda, Chuck and more ready to slingshot their way alongside newcomers into Apple Arcade subscribers’ hands.