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Rovio clarifies position as CEO Mikael Hed confirms Angry Birds Space is Windows Phone 7-bound

Studio already working on release

Rovio clarifies position as CEO Mikael Hed confirms Angry Birds Space is Windows Phone 7-bound
Rovio CEO Mikael Hed has confirmed the Finnish studio is in the process of developing a version of Angry Birds Space for Microsoft's Windows Phone.

Not earth shattering news you might think, but his statement comes a matter of hours after CMO Peter Vesterbacka seemed to rule out the latest addition to the Angry Birds franchise hitting Microsoft's OS.

Fans come first

"We are working towards getting Angry Birds Space on Windows Phone 7," Hed told Reuters, dismissing Vesterbacka's earlier suggestion that support for the platform had been dropped.

No launch date has been set, but Hed said Windows Phone OEM Nokia remained a key partner for Rovio, claiming the two parties were working on bringing more games from the studio to Nokia's handsets.

"Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices," he concluded.

Confusion reigns

It's likely Vesterbacka's comments, which have been leapt upon by the press as a sign Windows Phone is losing developer support, were actually made in reference to Angry Birds Space's launch period.

Rovio has a history of debuting major Angry Birds releases on major platforms such as iOS and Android first, before spreading the game's base to comparatively smaller formats.

Indeed, Vesterbacka himself was recently quoted at the South by Southwest conference in Austin as claiming Rovio's "limited resources" meant the game's launch would be limited to set platforms, but that releases on other operating systems would "follow shortly after."

One major factor hampering Windows Phone's assault on developers is the platform's lack of support for native code.

As a result, games have to be coded in the C# language and big titles often launch of the platform months – if not years – after they appear on iOS or Android.

Native support is rumoured to be on the way with Windows Phone 8, also known as Apollo, which looks likely to launch towards the end of 2012.

[source: Reuters]

With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font.