There's something the likes of Mario, Sonic and Pac-man boast that many other iconic characters such as Lara Croft or Rayman simply do not.

Calm yourself – it has nothing to do with big, bouncing, pixelated breasts. Rather, in the case of the original three, they're IP that consumers understand have an intrinsic link to their creators.

 

Sonic is Sega, Mario is Nintendo, etc. Those kind of associations are no happy accident, either.

When it comes to Lara and co, while such series have been able to earn their respective places in people's hearts, it's far harder for the 'man on the street' – i.e., the kind of person who doesn't read PocketGamer.biz – to identify who published them without having a quick spy of the game in question's box-art.

Coming up to three years since Angry Birds was first unleashed onto the App Store, Rovio has been keen to follow the model adopted by Nintendo and Sega – and for good reason.

A fresh start

It's the strength of Rovio's name that will have a huge bearing on how consumers take to the studio's revised take on Casey's Contraptions, now revealed as being rebranded as Amazing Alex.

The Finnish firm's decision to buy the IP is a solid one.

Here's a game that was incredibly well received by critics, but didn't turn those accolades into a similar level of success with consumers. As with many App Store releases, it simply got lost in the noise.

What Rovio will be able to do, besides any changes the developer may make to the game itself, is shine its now considerable spotlight on the franchise. Through the sheer consistency of its Angry Birds releases, Rovio has built up a solid relationship with what has quickly become a fanbase that's numbered in the hundreds of millions. 

When these consumers see the game - as marketed within Angry Birds, and through various other Rovio channels - huge numbers will download the game without even thinking – perhaps even in numbers in excess of what the game may or may not deserve.

It effectively turns Rovio into part developer, part discovery tool.

It's not hard to imagine that further IP purchases will follow in the future, with the firm picking out franchises it believes can also be shaped to fit the Rovio mould.

What's in a name?

Rovio's decision to push its brand front and centre is nothing unique, of course.

Other iOS developers have been savvy enough to make similar connections between their IP and their name – PopCap another outfit that, even before the App Store, had mastered this particular art.

Indeed, it's no surprise EA hasn't moved to re-brand PopCap since its acquisition of the outfit back in July 2011.

Given the number of match-three games on the market – some blatantly attempting to ride the Bejeweled wave – PopCap's name has almost become a sign of guaranteed quality. 'You may have played other match-threes before, but trust us, this is the real deal – it has our name on it.'

If this is to be a long term business model for Rovio, however, the firm will need to be particularly picky about just which IP it brings on board.

It wouldn't surprise me if any future releases – whether created in-house, or acquired from others – take a long time in coming: it only needs one sloppy game that doesn't connect with the studio's audience for that strong relationship between Rovio and the consumer to break down.

If Rovio plays its cards right, however, we could see the its name becoming synonymous with quality entertainment in a way in which other players in the field - perhaps even Disney - can only dream.