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Angry Birds Space gets new Cosmic Crystals update
After all these years, the birds are still angry. You can hear the cries of their swine enemies as structures fall around them in all eras, be it in the future or a galaxy far, far away. That's right guys, the Angry Birds franchise is back with a new update for Angry Birds Space. So what exact shape will your pig-destroying adventures take this round? Why just the sparkling wonder of Cosmic Crystals. Here are the details. Continue the space adventure in the Cosmic Crystals update with 35 sparkling new levels! Those Space Birds find themselves in a strange part of the galaxy with exploding crystal planets and a crazy mutant Space Pig! NEW LEVELS! 35 brand new levels, including a Space Eagle level and a big boss fight with a fearsome mutant Space Pig! NEW BREAKABLE PLANETS! Welcome to Cosmic Crystals with fragile planets that shatter and explode on impact! NEW RICHES TO DISCOVER! Sparkling mineral-rich planets filled with precious jewels and greedy Space Pigs! Angry Birds Space is available for download in the App Store for just US$0.99. Updates, as always, are free. Head over to iTunes to pick it up and kiss your productivity goodbye.
Angry Birds Space adds another 30 free levels
Rovio Entertainment has released version 1.4 of Angry Birds Space to the App Store. The free update is sure to make Angry Bird fans happy. Users now have another 30 levels to sling their way through as the birds find themselves in a new galaxy called "Splash" with all-new water-based planets, underseas life and pigs in boats. But it's not just new levels players can look forward to. Because the worlds are water-based, new physics are involved as you launch your birds to defeat the evil piggies. The update also adds an underwater boss and plenty of new power-ups, including Flock of Birds, a Space Egg that creates a black hole and the Pig Puffer, which expands the pigs. Angry Birds Space is US$0.99 for the iPhone and $2.99 for the iPad.
Rovio and CERN teaming up on education: hopefully the Angry Birds help us this time [update]
The last time CERN and an angry bird met, it didn't end so well: the Large Hadron Collider overheated after a feathered creature reportedly dropped its breakfast on outdoor machinery. Things should go much more smoothly this time around, with CERN and Rovio partnering on an educational initiative that will be unveiled in full at the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 12th. Although the two are shy on just what's entailed beyond the presence of some Angry Birds material at the event, the union will mark the start of Rovio's learning brand and likely represent more in the long run than another Angry Birds Space tie-in. We're mostly wondering if subatomic physics research will explain why we still can't three-star some levels in a physics-based game. Update: Rovio and CERN announced "Angry Birds Playground" this morning, which the company describes as, "a learning program for 3- to 8-year-olds based on the Finnish National Curriculum for kindergarten." In so many words, CERN and Rovio are partnering on an educational initiative aimed at young children which employs the iconic Angry Birds characters. It's unclear whether the initiative will spawn games or books or ... what exactly, but there you have it.
Feel the Force: Angry Birds Star Wars coming November 8th to iOS, Android, WP, Kindle Fire and computers
Rovio teased a certain film-inspired Angry Birds picture a long, long last week, and as expected, it's another new game -- Angry Birds Star Wars. Our furious feathered friends are assuming the likenesses of characters from the epic saga, with the trusty Red Bird taking on Luke Skywalker's role. It wouldn't be the Rebel Alliance without a dark side to fight, which is where the Pigs fit into the storyline; even the music and levels for gravity-based play will hark back to the film franchise. In addition to the software, details of related merchandise have also been uncovered, including table games, toys and costumes. The game is out on November 8th for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Kindle Fire and computers, and if it follows the original storyline, we wonder how Red Bird's going to feel about his porcine family history.
Rovio hints at Angry Birds tie-in with Star Wars on October 8th, Red Bird Five standing by
The green pigs have had their moment in the sun: it's time for the Angry Birds to come back. Rovio Mobile has posted a teaser of a collaboration between its frustrated avians and Star Wars that will get a grand reveal on October 8th at Toys R Us' Times Square location in New York City. No clear giveaways exist as to what's coming, although Rovio is promising animations, comics and other material in the weeks ahead -- we imagine it means more than a toy line, as unique as that can be. But does it mean an Angry Birds Space add-on that goes well beyond the Martian landscape, an entirely new game or something else altogether? We've asked the company for more details and will let you know if we're given more information. In the meantime, get ready for what's likely to be a geek culture explosion. [Thanks, Jaakko]
Gartner: Free apps dominate market, iOS App Store accounts for 25 percent of all content
If you'd just put down Angry Birds Space for a moment, maybe we could tell you that mobile apps are kind of a big deal. How big of a deal? How's about 45.6 billion downloads just this year -- that's a serious amount of birds lost in space! All of those downloads weren't just Angry Birds venturing into the final frontier, of course. Gartner, Inc's latest mobile report doesn't actually break down how much of that enormous number pertains to Rovio's hit franchise, but it does note that "free apps will account for nearly 90 percent of total mobile app store downloads in 2012." That means of the nearly 46 billion apps downloaded this year, approximately 40.6 billion were free. Additionally, an entire quarter of the apps downloaded in 2012 were via Apple's iOS app store -- but that isn't what's driving app growth, necessarily. "The number of apps available is driven by an increasing number of stores in the market today," Gartner research director Brian Blau notes. "These stores will see their combined share of total downloads increase, but demand for apps overall will still be dominated by Apple, Google, and Microsoft." And the growth doesn't stop there. Blau predicts that 93 percent of all apps downloads will be of the free variety by 2016 -- also, we'll be downloading over 300 billion apps worldwide by the same year. Like we said, kind of a big deal.
Rovio takes Angry Birds Space for a spin with NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover, teases Red Planet for fall (video)
It was almost as inevitable as gravity, really. Rovio has teamed up with NASA to offer a special, Curiosity-themed episode inside Angry Birds Space. The trek has the avians scouring 20 levels of the Martian landscape with a few bonuses thrown in for good measure. Just like your favorite childhood breakfast cereal, there's even a token healthy ingredient -- in this case, a chance for gamers to learn about Curiosity's exploration whenever they're not busy smashing pigs. Android and iOS users can dip into the new chapter right after they update, but that's not even the full extent of Rovio's plans. If the environs of Gale Crater are too limiting, you'll be glad to hear that the game developer is teasing a full-scale Red Planet variant for the fall.
Cut The Rope, Beat The Traffic, Angry Birds Space and more updated today
We've already heard about some big updates on the App Store this week, but this regular Thursday is also full of them -- some of the App Store's biggest apps are getting big chunky updates to use or play with. Here's a rundown for you. Angry Birds Space has a Mars Curiosity rover-related update out, with 20 new levels on Mars, and a new astronaut pig. Sounds fun! Cut the Rope also has new content, with new Spooky Box levels, and a feature called superpowers, which have you chasing after a new star on all levels to date. Doodle Jump has gotten its "biggest update yet," featuring a new ninja theme to play with, as well as new objects to help you jump farther and faster than ever, and new mechanics and obstacles as well. As previously mentioned, Facebook finally got its upgrade to a full app instead of just an HTML 5 skin, and it's much faster than it used to be. ProCamera HD has launched, bringing the versatile and powerful camera app from iPhone to iPad. The ingenious little Mission Alarm Clock (that requires you to complete "missions" to turn off your alarm every morning) has updated with a new UI and a new mission to complete. Vintagio is an app that we recently posted about -- it's an update of MacPhun's Silent Movie Director. And of course the TV Guide app was updated with things like celebrity watchlists and curated channel listings. Finally, the bill management app Chronicle in the Mac App Store was updated for both Retina Display compatibility, as well as support for Mountain Lion, and a whole new, great looking interface. All great apps, all updated with even more great features. All of these updates are available for download for free in an App Store near you.
Rovio makes a Mighty Eagle's $68 million in profit in financial squawk
Rovio has announced that in 2011, it made a huge $106.3 million turnover and a whopping $67.6 million in profit (before tax), showing that flinging feathery fowl is a very serious business. Fueled by the success of Angry Birds, Seasons and Rio, the company grew by a factor of eight in the last year, from 28 employees all the way to 224. The company adds that the three games were downloaded 648 million times and are now used by 200 million daily users, while sales of merchandise contributed to around 30 percent of the total revenue. The report adds that the only barrier to future profits is if people stop buying new smartphones, but we're not sure that's likely to be the case for a while.
Angry Birds Space hits 50 million milestone, smashes it, crushes pigs in the process
It helps to be free on the fastest-growing mobile platform, but that shouldn't draw all the attention away from Rovio's latest announcement. It's space-based reinvention of Angry Birds has now topped 50 million downloads in under 35 days, breaking its (and presumably everyone else's) record for mobile game downloads. In Rovios's own way, it recently thanked eager gamers for their consistent downloading support by slathering ten additional levels on both the iOS and Android version last week.
Angry Birds Space, Jetpack Joyride, Anomaly Warzone Earth all updated
Angry Birds Space has gotten a free update that adds ten new levels to the extremely popular bird-tossing game. There are ten new icy planets to orbit around, and the update (on iOS, at least) also provides twenty free Space Eagles to play with, and the option to earn one more free per day. Jetpack Joyride finally got its big 1.3 update, adding new gadgets that tweak the gameplay in helpful, hurtful, or wacky ways. And finally, the great Anomaly Warzone Earth HD was also updated, to be compatible with the Retina display on the new iPad. It's on sale right now as a result, available for just US$1.99.
BlackBerry Playbook joins the Angry Birds Space bandwagon
To the surprise of no one, Angry Birds Space has ballooned into a casual gaming phenomenon -- a feat that Rovio has somehow managed without the aid of a BlackBerry PlayBook audience. RIM announced today, however, that fans of its deeply discounted tablet can now hop on board the train to space pig payback, for the low, low price of $3, that is, unless you're saving up for that 4G version we've been hearing about...
The Physics of Angry Birds updated for Space
Ah, remember the early days of Angry Birds? Back when we were still fascinated by those frustrated feathered creatures and the hogs they so vehemently want to take down? That's when writer and physicist Rhett Allain published his original "Physics of Angry Birds" article, which used the original game to examine some real-life physics theory and equations. Now, Allain is back to take a look at the Angry Birds Space sequel/spinoff/update and the physics contained therein. As you might imagine, there's quite a bit to work with here -- the Space version includes gravity around smaller planets, so Allain is able to actually go through the various equations that govern movement between two different bodies. It's a nice long read (especially interesting if you're into math and physics, of course), but basically Allain finds that the birds aren't really dealing with gravity, just a coded representation of such. And perhaps more interestingly, Allain also says that the Space version of the birds contains pretty much, in a physics sense, the same slingshot as the original version. This makes sense (it's easier to code, obviously, having already done it once), but it also means that even though birds are floating through space in the spinoff, and flying across the ground in the first title, they're still starting with that same initial speed and force in both. [via MacStories]
Rovio Entertainment acquires Futuremark Games Studio
Rovio is on fire right now. Last week, it launched Angry Birds Space and logged an impressive ten million downloads in three three days. Now, the company announced it has used some of its cash to acquire benchmark software maker Futuremark Games Studio, says a report in Venture Beat. Mikael Hed, Rovio Entertainment's CEO, praised Futuremark and said in a statement, "They are an incredibly talented and experienced team, and we are thrilled to have them on board." He added that "Rovio's success is founded on the excellence of our team, and Futuremark Games Studio is going to be a superb addition." This is Rovio's second major acquisition within a year. Last summer, the gaming company bought Finnish animation studio Kombo.
Angry Birds: Space logs 10 million downloads in 3 days
As spotted by The Verge, Rovio said in a Monday morning tweet that it recorded 10 million downloads of its Angry Birds Space in just three days. This is one of several recent iOS-related app milestones. Earlier this month, the iOS App Store climbed to 25 billion total downloads and the new iPhoto for iOS app logged 1 million users. Just last week, popular social app Draw Something announced it hit 30 million downloads and its parent company was acquired by Zynga. [Via The Verge]
Angry Birds Space hits 10 million mark in three days
In its opening weekend (give or take a day or two) Rovio's space-based reinvention has picked up more than 10 million downloads. Presumably assisted by its freebie status on Android devices, Rovio's self-congratulatory tweet didn't give a breakdown across platforms. While we're now assured that a Windows Phone version will join the intergalactic fight, Rovio doesn't appear to need the help.
Visualized: Space Needle slingshot readies 35-foot Angry Bird for launch
If it doesn't make it, we can just hit restart, yeah?[Photo credit: Rod Mar]
Angry Birds Space won't land on Windows Phone, Redmond gets no stars (Updated: OK, maybe it will)
While no doubt swathes of Android and iOS users have experienced massive productivity slumps since Angry Birds Space came out this week, Windows Phone owners will be left staring at their spreadsheets. Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer, at Rovio has told Bloomberg that there are no plans to release the latest iteration of the popular time sink on Microsoft's mobile platform. Despite the original game still being the most popular app in the Marketplace, Vesterbacka claims that "...it's a big undertaking to support it, and you have to completely rewrite the application." So, until a Series 40 version is confirmed, you bird slingin' Nokia fans will just have to wait.Update: It seems as if Mr. Vesterbacka misspoke, or his comments were taken our of context. Rovio's CEO, Mikael Hed, told Reuters that "we are working towards getting Angry Birds Space to WP7," though there is no time frame set for the release yet.[Thanks, Timothy]
Joystiq: Your mother-in-law is going to love Angry Birds Space
Rovio's furious fowl have fought menacing swine on traditional battlefields, foreign fronts and even through seasonal holidays -- outer space was obviously the next logical step. In case you somehow haven't heard, Angry Birds Space sees casual gaming's most perturbed feathered heroes escaping terra firma to, as always, reclaim their stolen eggs. Joystiq describes the title as a tweaked, but familiar affair with a new twist that literally changes the gravity of the situation -- challenging players with inventive stages built around planetoids that divert and redirect the birds' trajectories. Sure, it might not resurrect a dead horse, but the new mechanic, they said, is probably enough to keep your in-laws entertained. Hit the source link below check out Joystiq's full review.
Angry Birds Space now available for the Mac, iPhone and iPad
Today is a big day for Rovio. Angry Birds Space, the fourth spinoff of the Angry Birds series, is now available on multiple platforms including iOS and OS X. You can download the US$2.99 iPad version and the 99-cent iPhone version from the iTunes App Store. The $4.99 Mac version is also now available in the Mac App Store. Have fun!
