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DeNA and Rovio Mobile chat from LeWeb '10 in Paris
Stuart Dredge over at MobileEntertainment is reporting live this week from Paris' LeWeb 2010 conference, and quite a few iPhone publishers and developers are in attendance and talking about Apple's platform and beyond. Of the most interest to us are probably the statements by Japanese publishers DeNA (who recently bought Ngmoco) and Angry Birds developer Rovio Mobile. First up, DeNA says it's still got acquisition money to spend, and while most of the company's business is currently running on feature phones in Japan, it's very much seeking out smartphone developers in North America and Europe to run social games on its platform. And DeNA's representative, Tomoko Namba, even says that Zynga would be welcome to join them. DeNA is trying to build a platform, not necessarily specific games. It'll be very interesting to see what happens with DeNA in the future -- it's clear that they don't know a lot about how to run mobile games in the US, but joining up with Ngmoco (and whoever else they pull on board) is a good way to learn how to do that. Rovio Mobile is at LeWeb as well, sharing that Angry Birds has reached 12 million paid downloads and 30 million free downloads on other platforms. The company says that ads have worked out very well on platforms besides iOS, but on iOS, with a trusted store in place, paid still seems to be their system of choice. Rovio also confirms that the game is probably headed to consoles next year and even teases some new, non-Angry Birds related titles coming in the near future. There's no question that 2010 was a landmark year for mobile gaming, so it'll be interesting to see what happens next year.
Angry Birds cases for Angry Birds addicts
You play it in line at the grocery store, and you play it when passing time at the laundromat, but now those Angry Birds have arrived in the form of a case for your iPhone 4 or iPod touch. Made by Gear4 and available now for US$24.99, the hard plastic cases are colorfully adorned with either Red Bird, Yellow Bird or the Pig King himself. Rovio's incredibly popular game entails slingshotting birds at green pigs who have stolen their eggs. It has seemingly taken on a life of its own with new versions being announced for Halloween, Christmas and now Seasons -- along with also unleashing some homemade Angry Birds costumes. One fan even decided to recreate the game using balls, clay, eggs, slingshots and cardboard boxes for her very own "live" version at home. Angry Birds is currently the game I play most on my iPhone, but I don't think I am at a level of addiction where I need a matching case. Are you there yet?
TUAW's Daily App: Trucks and Skulls
I'll be honest, at the expense of disagreeing with some of you: I don't really like Angry Birds. Sure, I'll admit it's a quality app, and I obviously can't deny all of those sales. But personally, it's just not my game -- I don't find it nearly as fun as some of the other games on the App Store. That said, I know plenty of people enjoy Angry Birds, and for those people, Trucks and Skulls will probably scratch the same itch. Gameplay is almost exactly the same, except instead of birds, you're throwing trucks, and instead of pigs, you're attacking ... well, you can probably guess. There are a few new mechanics, a full level maker and screenshot sharing service, and the stages are obviously different, but otherwise, it's more of the physics puzzle goodness that Angry Birds has, only done with a heavy metal, death trucker aesthetic. Heck, maybe that appeals to some of you even more than Rovio's title. Trucks and Skulls just recently released a free version, and the full game is just US 99 cents on the iPhone and $1.99 on the iPad, with Game Center integration included. If you've already blown through Angry Birds and the recent holiday edition, give Trucks and Skulls a try.
Angry Birds add-on puts some holiday cheer in your pig murder
Are you looking to fulfill you annual desire to get totally pumped for the holidays, but can't seem to stop playing the iPhone sensation Angry Birds long enough to do so? Thanks to a recently published expansion to Rovio's tower-toppling App, you can now kill two birds with one high-velocity bird. For $0.99 on iOS ($1.99 for the HD version), or for free (but ad-supported) on Android, you can download "Season's Greedings," an add-on that features a new level every day in the 25 days leading up to Christmas. It's like an advent calendar! Only ... like, way more fun. Purchasing the pack also unlocks the 45-level Halloween expansion for free -- or, if you've already acquired this extra spooky level pack, you can grab "Season's Greedings" in a free title update. We wonder if we can expect a purchase of this new add-on to grant us free admission to the next holiday-themed level pack, "New Year's Evil Pigs," or "Punxsutawney Panic." (Yes, those are made up. For now.) Download: Angry Birds Seasons [iOS SD: $0.99] [iOS HD: $1.99] [Android: Free]
Angry Birds Seasons app available now
Rovio has released Angry Birds Seasons, and it's now available on the App Store. The app is a free upgrade for those that purchased Angry Birds Halloween, or it's available to download for £0.59 in the UK ($0.99 in the US store). If you didn't purchase Angry Birds Halloween, you'll be pleased to know that the 45-level Halloween special edition is included as a free special episode called Trick or Treat -- hence the new title, Angry Birds Seasons. We can only hope that there will be further seasonal episodes to come. Expanding on Angry Birds Halloween, the app introduces Season's Greetings. This brand new festive level is packed with 25 daily surprises to enjoy while counting down the days to Christmas, in much the same fashion as a traditional Advent calendar. Season's Greetings includes new achievements, Game Center support and a very merry golden egg. [Speaking of Advent calendars, both Gameloft and Appvent are counting down the days until 12/25 with a different free app or special preview/discount every day. Don't miss out! –Ed.] If you're an Angry Birds fan, we're sure you must be feeling like Christmas has come early this year. And if you didn't purchase the Halloween edition, well ... at this price, you can't exactly turn up your nose at it. You're now getting a whole lot of Angry Birds entertainment for not very much money at all.
7 million happy downloads of Angry Birds on Android
Rovio, demented architect behind Angry Birds, has quietly revealed that its flagship title has been downloaded seven million times on Android platforms. The information comes courtesy of Rovio's Twitter account in response to a user noting "Not all Android games are free." Rovio responded, tweeting, "True, but the ones with more than 50K downloads are... We just hit 7M downloads on Android." The free, ad-supported version of Angry Birds was released on Android in October. It went on to be downloaded over two million times in its first three days of availability.
Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes
We already knew the Nook Color was capable of something a bit more than its initial offering, having seen Angry Birds run fairly smoothly on a dev unit. In fact, it's exactly what we want in between chapters of Animal Farm, and the xda-developers community, right on schedule, are providing pictorial evidence of its rooting conquests. So far we've seen the aforementioned game / addiction, a few other additions to the extras menu, and even Launcher Pro (image after the break). NookDevs has a page going with instructions, but even it admits to being a work in progress, so we're gonna emphasis a little stronger than usual: don't try this at home unless you're absolutely sure what you're doing -- or don't mind a broken tablet or two. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Angry Birds Christmas to be free upgrade to Halloween edition
Rovio has a free gift on the way for everyone that ponied up the $0.99 for the Halloween edition of Angry Birds. The promised Christmas edition of the super-addictive mobile game will be a free update for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users. @RovioMobile responded to a query on Twitter confirming that the next edition of the game will come gratis. Rovio has not yet indicated whether it will start incorporating iAds into the iOS version of the game and giving it away as they have done with the AdMob-supported Android edition. Fortunately, the 7 million Android users helping the birds recover their eggs will be glad to know that the Christmas add-on will not be an iOS-exclusive like the Halloween edition. [via MobileBurn]
Angry Birds Christmas in December, global flash mobs planned
The foul finches in Angry Birds are preparing to spread holiday cheer with Angry Birds Christmas, which should be available sometime in December. Pocketgamer took note of a Finnish site that posted images of the expansion which, if it follows the pricing of the previous holiday special, Angry Birds Halloween, should come crashing in at $.99. There has not been an official announcement made yet. Developer Rovio has dubbed December 11 Angry Birds Day and has set up a website for happy players to meet up all around the world and form flash mobs. Further details regarding your mob's activities will arrive by email closer to the date -- don't worry, it will allegedly be suitable for all ages. Then again, it's probably wise to be cautious when the basis for a meet-up is bird flinging.
Angry Birds hits 10 million iPhone downloads, coming to gaming consoles
Angry Birds creator Rovio has announced that the game has fetched a whopping 36 million downloads so far, including ten million paid downloads on the iOS platform alone. Those are some pretty incredible numbers -- there's no question at all that Angry Birds is as legendary an app on the iPhone as they come. In the larger mobile picture, Rovio still has a way to go -- the company itself wants to do 100 million downloads on the Android platform (where the game is a free download, and allows for premium purchases within the app), and even then will have to go a bit further to match up with Tetris' 100 million paid downloads on all mobile platforms. But the game has definitely found its place in mobile app history already. Not only is there still that Christmas version planned for the coming holiday season, but Rovio has also announced that it will be releasing versions of the game for the Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii sometime in 2011. Next year will bring another smartphone version, not a full sequel, but one where the pigs will apparently get a little more of the spotlight than the birds have given them so far. Talk about a bulldozer of an IP -- as big as this game has gotten, we haven't seen the last of it yet.
Christmas Angry Birds bring inevitable addiction to the App Store
You had to see this coming. Rovio is reportedly prepping a Christmas-themed update to the ridiculously popular Angry Birds game for iOS. Finnish TV site MTV3 has the scoop (English translation) with a screenshot showing snow-bound pigs about to receive the wrath of flying snowballs. MTV3 suggests that the game will be out "before December." You'll remember Rovio recently shipped a Halloween version of the app for $0.99. Expect the yule version to cost the same. [Via Pocket Gamer]
Angry Birds try for a more diplomatic resolution to their pig problem
Birds have always looked down on pigs due to their inability to fly, while pigs themselves have always been envious of their flight-enabled counterparts -- it's led to much conflict between the species, naturally. But we're happy to report that today the two finally sat down for peace talks.
Rovio feels the burn of Android fragmentation, plans 'light' version of Angry Birds
So, it's real after all, huh? Android fragmentation is making its way into the news again, and this time it counts. Rovio, developer of a little-known title called "Angry Birds," has just penned a new blog post detailing the night terrors that have come with coding a single program to work on a cornucopia of platforms. In the weeks since Angry Birds was released to Android users everywhere, the company has been inundated with performance complaints, mostly from users with older / underpowered Android devices or phones using Android 1.6 or earlier. A laundry list of smartphones have now been added to the "unsupported" list (shown in full after the break), but thankfully for you, a "lightweight" version of the game is in the works. According to Rovio, that build won't reduce the number of levels (or amount of fun / frustration, for that matter), but will instead be optimized for dawdling processors and Android versions that have been helplessly malformed by carriers. Nice going, guys. [Thanks, Justin]
Capcom's free-to-play Smurfs' Village out-grossing Angry Birds
If you, like me, responded to the release of Smurfs' Village by saying, "Really? A freemium game from Capcom? Based on the Smurfs franchise?" then you probably want to rethink how the App Store works, because apparently it's a hit -- Smurfs' Village has topped even Angry Birds recently for the top grossing app on the App Store. The game is free-to-play, though players can buy "smurfberries" via in-app purchase that work like mojo in We Rule to speed up growth of players' crops or buildings. And those smurfberries must be selling like hotcakes, because the game is trouncing Angry Birds' millions and millions of 99-cent downloads. It'll be really interesting to see what effect this has on the market as a whole. Sega just released a freemium MMO in the form of a game called Kingdom Conquest, and EA is scheduled to do the same very soon. Capcom has been fumbling around for a big hit on the iPhone with all of their various properties, and while the Street Fighter IV game has been doing well, it hasn't seen nearly the intake that this Smurfs game has. Which probably means we can see some more freemium games coming from Capcom and other big companies in the future. You have to wonder who's spending all this money on these things -- are there legitimate game buyers out there shelling out for smurfberries instead of Starbucks, or is this all kids whose parents will be extremely surprised when the iTunes bill comes in next month?
Angry Birds sequel will reveal pigs' point of view
Just when you thought that the frenzy over the popular iOS game Angry Birds had finally reached its peak, now comes word from the Virtual Goods Summit that the game's publisher plans on turning the franchise into an empire. Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka dropped the eggs spilled the beans yesterday when he mentioned that the game is going to be available on all major gaming platforms soon, not just on mobile devices. But the comment that got the most attention was that the Angry Birds sequel is in development and it won't focus solely on the irate avians. No, the sequel story line will be told from the point of view of the pigs, who have been the victims of the vicious attacks by the birds in Part One of this tale. Vesterbacka also confirmed that a movie and TV show are apparently in the works, and that most of Rovio's investment at the present time is going into a Facebook game. It won't be Angry Birds, but will take place in the same world as the ultra-popular game. Rovio is also working on a multiplayer version of Angry Birds, all part of Vesterbacka's plans for "Angry Birds to be bigger than Tetris." [via Pocket-Lint]
Angry Birds spreading to consoles, sequels, feature films
The whole premise seems pretty simple, right? Evil piggies steal eggs, birds get angry, angry birds attack pigs, gamers struggle with addiction. But not so fast: have you ever wondered what the pigs think of all of this? Speaking at the Virtual Goods Summit in London, Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka let it drop that there was, indeed, a sequel to Angry Birds in development, going on to say that it would "surprise people. No one has told the story from the pigs point of view." But that ain't all! The company is apparently planning to milk this franchise for all it's worth, a multiplayer game "like old school Worms games" and a Facebook game taking priority, as well as porting the game to PSN, Wii, and Xbox, and some sort of film or TV show. We have to wonder who's going to play the red bird. Please let it be Alan Thicke. This is the best news since we heard there was a possible Asteroids movie in the works!
Angry Birds confirmed as coming to XBLA, PSN, WiiWare before a sequel
Given the ESRB's rating of Angry Birds on WiiWare way back in August, and the subsequent announcement of miniaturizing the game on PSP, we weren't shocked to hear Rovio CEO Peter Vesterbacka confirm "PSN, Wii, and Xbox" versions of the enormously popular game are on the way. Pocket Gamer reports that Vesterbacka delivered the news during a speech at the first ever Social Gaming Summit in London this week, where he said the new versions would mark the beginning of the future for the Angry Birds IP. It also looks like we'll see the game released digitally on consoles before a proper sequel comes out, as Vesterbacka characterizes the XBLA/PSN/WiiWare ports as just "for starters." Soon after, he hinted that we could see a "surprise" twist on the game, telling the timeless tale of Angry Birds from the perspective of the lowly pigs. The gaming equivalent of "A Tale of Two Cities," but, ya know, with pigs and birds. Obviously.
More Angry Birds costumes (and a cake)
As requested, TUAW reader Amy sent us pictures of these homemade costumes designed to look like the characters in Angry Birds. You can browse through all of them in the gallery below -- again, I'm partial to the pig, but that bird looks pretty good as well. Reader Sheldon also dressed up as an Angry Bird, and included the legendary white iPhone with a screenshot on his costume -- twice the geeky references! And while it's not a costume, reader JT says he spotted this Angry Birds cake in Singapore. Never have the birds and their enemies looked so darn ... edible! Thanks to everybody who sent pictures in. I didn't see many Mac-related costumes out and about this weekend during Halloween. There were lots of video game and comic book characters walking around Hollywood last night, but no Steve Jobs or Newtons to be seen. Did you see any fun Apple costumes? Update: Here's some more reader Hanson created with his son. %Gallery-106395%
Homemade Angry Birds costumes take flight
We've seen Steve Jobs and an iPhone so far, and here come some Angry Birds costumes, from the hit iPhone game. These were all made by crafters (from what looks like fabric, felt, and plastic), and some of them look pretty elaborate. I like the pig costume the best, although dressing yourself in a costume shaped like a large yellow triangular bird has to win points for something. Very cool, and given how many Angry Birds fans there are out there, it'll probably nab a lot of candy on Sunday. Are you dressing up in a Mac- or iPhone-related costume this Halloween? Be sure to take pictures and send them in -- we'd love to see it. [via MobileCrunch]
Rovio Mobile passing on Chillingo in the future
Chillingo closed a huge deal with EA yesterday (becoming the second big iPhone publisher in as many weeks to be picked up), but the company's work with its biggest title apparently left a bad taste in the mouth of the developers, Rovio Mobile. That company tells TechCrunch that they'll never work with Chillingo, or any publisher, again. That's not so much a reflection on Chillingo, though, as it is on Rovio's success -- Peter Vesterbacka says that with the way the App Store is set up, you just "don't need publishers" any more. For a lot of iPhone developers, I would disagree -- Chillingo has put together a nice set of iPhone titles over the past few years, and seeing their name on an iPhone game can give a nice boost in profile to a developer just starting out. Obviously EA agrees -- while this doesn't mean we'll see EA start taking advantage of the Angry Birds license (necessarily -- I'm sure Rovio is poking around in as many places as possible to recreate the Angry Birds game on other platforms), it does mean that EA is getting access to a significant amount of experience in creating, publishing, and marketing iPhone games. Chillingo seems to have a talent for finding titles of solid quality that are willing to experiment a little bit, so this should bring us some more EA games that are outside of the standard Madden/Need for Speed/Tiger Woods ilk. As an iPhone user, I'm excited about both the Chillingo and the Ngmoco deals recently -- both will create more options for two iPhone publishers who have made a solid name for themselves, as well as bring a little more standing to the platform at large as a great place to publish and release great games. Rovio's done with iPhone publishers, but the rest of us are just getting started.
