Roundup
The Finnish Mobile Market Roundup: PGC Helsinki 2023 Edition
Before next week's show, get up to speed with the latest news from Finland’s famous mobile game development scene
Company Profile
Rovio
Website
www.rovio.com
About
Rovio is a leading European mobile game developer that focuses on publishing its benchmark quality games directly, and uses selected partners to further broaden its distribution network. The company was founded in late 2004, is based in Helsinki, and is growing fast to support the global demand of its premium games.
Related People
Timothy Coolidge
Design Director
Pekka Rantala
CEO
Julie Beaugrand
Head of Studio (Toronto)
Teemu Hamalainen
Production Director
Kieran O'Leary
Director of Growth
Alex Pelletier-Normand
CEO
Kati Levoranta
CEO
Alexei Ryan
Senior Studio Recruiter
Gustavo Viegas
Performance Marketing Manager
Tommi Koivisto
Senior Producer
Mika Ihamuotila
Chairman of the Board
Måns Wide
Lead Game Designer and Product Manager, Angry Birds 2
Timo Rahkonen
VP of strategy and investor relations
Jorge Gonzalez
Head of Rovio Barcelona
Niklas Hed
COO
Miika Tams
Product Lead, VP Games
Heini Kaihu
Head of HR
Marjo Kuosmanen
VP, HR
Sandro Kvlividze
Design Lead
Johannes Mang
Head of Studio, Stockholm
Bryan Cook
Angry Birds Bounce Game Lead
An Vu
User Acquisition Lead
Luis de la Camara
Vice President of Marketing
Harshal Karvande
Senior Game Designer
Jarkko Rajamäki
Vice President of Advertising
Matthew Wilson
Senior Manager Publishing
Veli Kiviaho
Head of Beacon Growth
Wilhelm Taht
Executive Vice President, Games
Jon Howard
Head of communications and PR
Miaomiao Li
Performance Marketing Manager
Cyril Barrow
VP Operations, games
+28 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Rovio
Best Of 2023
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2023
The movers and the shakers of the last 12 months
Acquisition
Sega officially welcomes Rovio to its family of studios
However, there are still several stages to go before the deal is finalised
Birds Of A Feather
Sega to finalise Rovio acquisition next week
Sonic and Angry Birds to be one big family as Sega takes 96.3% of shares
Deals
Sega's Rovio deal clears regulatory hurdles and gets the green light
Barring a sudden 11th hour flap, the Sega's Rovio acquisition is set to go ahead
Breakdown
Drake Star's Global Gaming Report: Breaking down the numbers, charts and more
What do Drake Star’s charts and graphs tell us about the gaming industry today?
Stocks
EA and other video game stocks see big boost as M&A fever creeps in
Shares are trading ‘in sympathy’ with Microsoft and ABK as the AquiBlizz saga looks set to close
Blockchain
Sega cools off on blockchain gaming after Rovio acquisition
Mobile could be the way forward for the home of the hedgehog
Big Festival
Rovio's masterclass for creating memorable characters
Rovio’s senior character designer Tom Bernandes took to the stage at BIG Festival to discuss the key to success in character design
Big Festival
Live from the BIG Festival: Day two of Latin America’s biggest gaming event
Thousands of gamers and industry professionals have descended on Sao Paulo - and we’re here on the show floor
Collaborations
Angry Birds to collaborate with US National Parks Service for 4th of July
The Independence Day celebrations begin on July 3
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news including EA's big break up, new looks, new opportunities and new challenges…
Angry Birds
Angry Birds educational games are on the way
The games come as part of a new partnership between Rovio and Legends of Learning
Legislation
Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen and other game execs decry Finland's "catastrophic" new three-month immigration law
Finnish Game leaders call out new rules that would require unemployed skilled workers to leave the country
Play With Pride
38% of Finnish gaming professionals identify as LGBTQIA+
The country had a higher proportion of LGBTQIA+ workers in the game industry than the worldwide average
Angry Birds Series
An Angry Birds animated series is coming to Amazon Prime
Angry Birds Mystery Island stars What We Do in the Shadows’ Harvey Guillén and Lost star Dominic Monaghan
New Journeys
Angry Birds Journey soars to new heights in latest update
The update introduces new elements to the game
Roundup
Revenue Report: Games financials roundup: May 2023
Who's up? Who's down? Here's the latest quarterly financial results from around the world of mobile games, all in one place
Soft-launch
Bad Piggies 2 comes to selected countries in iOS-exclusive soft launch
Android release to come later
Blog Posts
Rovio reveals the secrets of their level design
The studio’s latest blog post unveils some inside details
Rovio Financials
Angry Birds Dream Blast was at the top of the Rovio pecking order in Q1
The game saw gross bookings of 23.9 million euros
Anniversaries
It's been 10 years since Angry Birds Friends
Time flies… But what did the lesser-known Angry Birds hatchling bring to the (bird) table?
In-car Gaming
Angry Birds lands in cars in collab with Mercedes-Benz
Rovio’s flagship games will be playable in your Mercedes E-Class
Week That Was
Week in Views - What caught our eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news and discuss the big Rovio buyout, big-ups and back-slapping and Epic moves…
Industry Insight
“Rovio devs must be salivating at the thought of working with these IPs...” The Sega/Rovio deal: The industry speaks
Industry experts give their take on what Sega will do with Rovio and who'll be splashing the cash next
Comment & Opinion
“The shame for Finland is it isn’t Rovio buying Sega…" Six ex-Rovio staff give their take on the big deal
It's the big money buyout that's got everyone in mobile talking. But what do famous 'ex-Rovians' make of it?
Deal Diary
Sega & Rovio: Four key dates to watch
The deal isn't out of the woods yet. Here are the important moments to pencil into your calendar
Collaborations
The last time that Sonic and Angry Birds teamed up
Thanks to cross-promotion deals between the two friendly companies, today's Rovio and Sega deal isn’t without precedent
Acquisition
Sega + Rovio: How did we get here?
Now that Sega is acquiring the Angry Birds developer, we retread the steps both parties took towards the big deal
Acquisitions
Rovio: What's the big deal and why did Sega buy them?
It's the big money deal that has set the mobile gaming world talking. But just what's in it for both parties?
Done Deal
Sega buys Rovio for €706 million
It's official. After a weekend of rumours the deal is done. Full details inside
Pending Deal
Sega to snap up Rovio for $1 billion?
Will Sonic join forces with the Angry Birds?
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Clash of Clans
Supercell’s flagship title brought mobile strategy into the third-dimension
Rovio Analytics
Rovio gives insight into its game analytics approach
The company’s director of analytics discussed the topic in a new blog post
Discussions
Rovio halts discussions with Playtika with no deal in sight
The Israeli publisher had been eager to make a cash offer to buy the Angry Birds developer
Analysis
Angry Birds was delisted due to its effect on search, not sales
Rovio says Rovio Classics: Angry Birds pushed other games from the spotlight
Partnerships
Rovio announces IMG as their exclusive agent for books and more
The company will manage publishing deals with book and media companies on behalf of Rovio
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team take their pick of this weeks big news to talk all-powerful AI, enduring classics and why there's not enough horror in games
Expert Analysis
Angry Birds Match: Empowering ads with perfectly pitched puzzles
Get your gameplay and monetisation balance right and you'll have a hit on your hands, explains Rovio's UA lead Claire Rozain
Delistings
Rovio Classics: Angry Birds to be delisted
The re-release of the original entry into the Angry Birds franchise will be delisted on the 23rd of February 2023
Rovio Financials
Rovio saw revenue decline in Q4, but increases across 2022
The company's latest financial statement delves into the company's performance over the period.
Sales
Rovio are officially in talks with Playtika, and others, for a potential sale
A recent statement on Rovio’s investors page indicates that the Angry Birds developer may also be in talks with other interested buyers
Diversity In Gaming
How inclusivity and diversity can lead to a positive future
Groups such as Rovio, LEGO and Nokia joined a roundtable led by UNICEF Finland to discuss insights and experiences
Views Week
Week in Views - What caught our editorial eyes in the last seven days
The Pocketgamer.biz team on big buy outs, fallouts and even bigger apologies
Mergers & Acquisitions
Playtika offers $737.5m to acquire Angry Birds developer Rovio
Israeli-based Playtika have sweetened their offer to acquire Rovio, as the latter remains reliant on their flagship franchise
Guest Post
Will UA creatives kill in-game monetisation and revenue?
It’s all too easy to push too hard with your ads strategy, but getting the best results is all about striking the right balance
Regulation
What does Finland’s lootbox law actually do?
Loot Boxes may fallen out of vogue as a target of gamer and regulator ire, but their control and restriction is still being debated by regulators
Mobile Masterworks
Mobile Masterworks: Angry Birds
What made Angry Birds one of the biggest series in mobile, arguably sparking the rise of mobile gaming as we know it today?
Updates
Rovio adds first new Angry Birds character in seven years
Rovio’s Angry Birds 2 saw the addition of its first new character in seven years with the introduction of songbird character Melody
Angry Birds Of A Feather
Rovio has 10 new games in the pipeline, and a cross-platform Angry Birds is one of them
Angry Birds Next will feature multiplayer and cross-platform play