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Rovio's Angry Birds Space to skip Windows Phone 7

Not hitting every screen

Rovio's Angry Birds Space to skip Windows Phone 7
Rovio has confirmed it has no plans to release its latest mobile phenomenon Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone.

"We’re the No. 1 app in the Windows Phone app store, but it’s a big undertaking to support it, and you have to completely rewrite the application," Rovio’s chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka told Bloomberg.

His point is that Windows Phone 7 requires developers to use the C# language, which creates technical issues.

"If you look at activations, Apple's iOS and Android are clearly bigger than any other platform," Vesterbacka continued.

"We want to be on all screens, but we have to consider the cost of supplying the smaller platforms. With Windows Phone it's a lot of work to technically support it."

Pigs can fly

The news has seen some analysts casting doubt on Windows Phone's viability, especially as Rovio and Nokia have worked closely in the past. 

"This is a worrying development for Windows Phone because it suggests that Rovio does not have much confidence in its future," said Nomura analyst Richard Windsor.

"As the standard version [of Angry Birds] is already number one on the Windows Phone app store, it gives a strong indication that no one else will expect to be making money writing for this platform either."
Angry Birds Space launched yesterday on iOS and Android devices, plus Mac and PC.

Older versions of the franchise are available for BlackBerry PlayBook and Nokia's Symbian devices, amongst others. 

[source: Bloomberg]

Fresh out of the packaging, Tom joins Pocket Gamer with a chip on his shoulder and a degree in Journalism. Naively, Tom believes there's a star-studded career in video games and has penned words across the internet in between praying to the almighty Nintendo gods.