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
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
Jon Howard
Head of communications and PR
Heini Kaihu
Chief Sustainability Officer
Måns Wide
Lead Game Designer and Product Manager, Angry Birds 2
Wilhelm Taht
Executive Vice President, Games
Timo Rahkonen
VP of strategy and investor relations
Marjo Kuosmanen
VP, HR
Kieran O'Leary
Director of Growth
Niklas Hed
COO
Alex Pelletier-Normand
CEO
Timothy Coolidge
Design Director
Johannes Mang
Head of Studio, Stockholm
An Vu
User Acquisition Lead
Tommi Koivisto
Senior Producer
Mika Ihamuotila
Chairman of the Board
Teemu Hamalainen
Production Director
Miaomiao Li
Performance Marketing Manager
Julie Beaugrand
Head of Studio (Toronto)
Jorge Gonzalez
Head of Rovio Barcelona
Pekka Rantala
CEO
Alexei Ryan
Senior Studio Recruiter
Miika Tams
Product Lead, VP Games
Luis de la Camara
Vice President of Marketing
Sandro Kvlividze
Design Lead
Veli Kiviaho
Portfolio and Performance Lead
Harshal Karvande
Senior Game Designer
Matthew Wilson
Senior Manager Publishing
Kati Levoranta
CEO
Cyril Barrow
VP Operations, games
Jarkko Rajamäki
Vice President of Advertising
Gustavo Viegas
Performance Marketing Manager
Bryan Cook
Angry Birds Bounce Game Lead
+28 more
Accolades
Articles featuring Rovio
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
Financial Report
Rovio saw an 8.4% year-on-year increase in revenue in Q3, with the Angry Birds franchise at the top of the pecking order
The company drew $77 million in revenue in Q3
New Studio
Rovio bursts onto the scene in Barcelona and is now hiring in the historic city
Rovio will be opening its eighth studio in the Spanish city of Barcelona and has already begun hiring for multiple roles.
New Studio
Wildlife Studios open new Helsinki studio Stellar Core Games with veterans from Supercell and Rovio
The studio will be led by Touko Tahkokallio and Serdar Soganci
Charity Event
One Special Day charity event supports gamers with disabilities
The fundraising event will see multiple games industry companies raising money for the the cause with their video game titles.
New Studio
Netflix Gaming opens new studio in Helsinki
This marks the company’s second studio in the city
Interview
Luis de la Camara: “ I wouldn't be surprised if ten years from now the industry is primarily made up of a handful of big companies.”
Rovio’s VP on Marketing discusses monetisation, cloud gaming, and industry trends.
Interview
Luis de la Camara: "microtransactions and incentivised ads are going to continue to be the main driver of revenue for mobile games."
We interview Rovio's Luis de la Camara about the mobile games industry
Ua Update
Optimise your user acquisition experience with the UA Update track at Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki
Discover practical advice to navigate legislation and app stores to optimise your user acquisition
Guest Post
Humiliation in advertising — why it won't be working long term
Claire Rozain on the effects of harmful advertising on user acquisition
Best Of 2022
The Top 50 Mobile Game Makers of 2022
The movers and the shakers of the last 12 months
Financial Report
Rovio H1 2022 report: Good results in a market facing headwinds in Q2
The Angry Birds franchise was – as ever – a particularly strong performer
Speaker Spotlight
Rovio’s Claire Rozain on the importance of diversity and inclusivity in games
Learn from Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki’s brightest minds as we hear from our speakers ahead of the September conference
Ua Eye
Will yoga influencers entice you to play Angry Birds Journey?
Rovio's Claire Rozain looks inward to an ad campaign with Angry Birds Journey, and how vital it is to reflect the players' own interests
Muesse To Lead
Andy Muesse to lead Rovio’s global game studios
Muesse to lead the company's global game studios in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Canada
Party Like It’s 2009-2011
Minecraft is Angry Bird’s latest official collaboration
DLC created by Oreville Studios
Take Me On A Journey
Rovio targeting one major, Angry Birds Journey-scale, release annually
Alex Pelletier-Normand and René Lindell, CEO and CFO of Rovio respectively, open the Rovio capital markets day 2022 with a profile of Rovio’s growth opportunities
Catapulting
Rovio sees 26% revenue growth against mobile F2P decline
Revenue increased to €85 million in Q1 2022, a year-on-year increase from €67.1 million
Ruby To Red
Rovio CEO commits to future acquisitions
Following the acquisition of Ruby Games in 2021, Rovio’s Alex Pelletier-Normand is bullish about acquisitions remaining “an important part of our strategy moving forward”
Flight To Five Billion
Rovio surpasses five billion lifetime mobile game downloads
Angry Birds creator continues to soar
Hot Five
Hot Five: Zynga, Rovio, ustwo games, Bluestacks interviews, and how to avoid UX/UI dark patterns
The hottest interviews and features on PG.biz
Seeing Red
Rovio CEO talks ATT, protecting Angry Birds, and blockchain exploration
A whirlwind chat with Rovio CEO Alex Pelletier-Normand traverses the company’s brand strategy for Angry Birds, privacy changes, and Rovio’s blockchain development
Rovio Removes Games
Rovio pulls games from Russia and Belarus
In-app purchases disabled for games that have already been downloaded
Birds Boost
Rovio 2021 revenues increase 5.1% to $326.6 million, boosted by Angry Birds titles
Record high fourth quarter results
Making Of
Angry Birds Journey's voyage to reinvent familiarity
Rovio's Tommi Koivisto and Sandro Kvlividze walks PG.biz through the delicate balance of renovation while returning to Angry Birds' roots