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Rovio employing a growing percentage of Finland
Out of the variety of numbers included in this morning's Rovio 2011 financial report, one line stuck out to us as particularly insane: the employee count. Rovio wasn't a very large company before Angry Birds exploded in late 2009, having only produced a couple dozen under-the-radar mobile titles. But by 2011, the need for expansion was clearly there.Resultantly, employee numbers similarly exploded – from just 28 employees in early 2011 to a whopping 224 at year's end. In case that isn't a dramatic enough statement unto itself, Valve Software employs 293 people, and Valve has quite a few more things to manage. Our biggest fear – a fear that many Rovio employees likely echo – is that the massive upscaling of jobs will result in a massive downscaling should the Angry Birds franchise lose its foothold as king of mobile distractions. Not exactly a new business model in the game industry, unfortunately.For now at least, Rovio's employing a ton of Finnish devs to craft its bird flingers and related products. Someone's gotta think of these clever marketing vices, you know!
The Angry Birds earned Rovio quite a bit of chicken scratch in 2011
The Angry Birds are quite a catch, it seems. Franchise creator Rovio announced this morning that earnings in 2011 topped $100 million, which it owes solely to sales of the Angry Birds franchise. "The heavy investments made in 2011 to all business areas will be seen in future products," Rovio CEO Mikael Hed noted in the press release. "To ensure continuous success we need to be creative and stay focused on entertaining our millions of fans by continuously developing new and innovative products and services." The company earned approximately $67.6 million in pre-tax profit in 2011, or about 64 percent of total revenue.Hed doesn't necessarily mean branching out from his company's most popular franchise, of course. Especially not after such a big year for merchandising surrounding the Angry Birds – Rovio's "consumer products" unit took in "about 30 percent" of 2011's total earnings (approximately $31.9 million). That's a lot of Angry Birds gummy snacks!Rovio's $106.3 million in revenue (not profit, mind you, but revenue) is owed primarily to growth in the Finnish company's Angry Birds games catalog, which expanded by just one game in 2011: a movie tie-in named "Angry Birds Rio." The games have been downloaded approximately 648 million times across all platforms as of Dec. 31, 2011, and have a monthly user base of approximately 200 million.[Image credit: Flickr user 'Nearsoft']
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.
Two Angry Birds devs start new studio to make 'the next Angry Birds'
Antti Stén and Tuomas Erikoinen have broken free of Angry Birds developer Rovio to start their own studio, Boomlagoon. Stén, Rovio's former lead server architect, and Erikoinen, former lead artist, want to make "convivial and intriguing games," according to Boomlagoon's motto. We bet they were tempted to throw "non-fowl-related" in there, too, but figured it was unnecessary.Stén is chief executive officer while Erikoinen is chief creative officer; they refer to themselves as "Mr. Plan" and "Mr. Action," respectively. They plan to make games for web and mobile platforms, starting with HTML 5 titles."If we play our cards right, we just might end up with the next Angry Birds," Stén told Venture Beat.
Angry Birds Space 'Fry Me To The Moon' pack adds 10 levels for free
A fresh infusion of frustration-focused fowl flinging has made its way into the iOS and Android versions of Rovio's immensely popular game, Angry Birds Space. The free "Fry Me To The Moon" pack adds 10 new icy planets and, if you're an iOS user, 20 complimentary space eagles.iOS users also receive one additional free space eagle every day for an unspecified amount of days, meaning that while both iOS and Android users were equally important in making Angry Birds Space "the most popular Angry Birds game yet," iOS users are more equal.
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...
Shigeru Miyamoto admits he's a fan of Angry Birds, just like the rest of us
Mario and Zelda (amongst others) creator Shigeru Miyamoto was in Paris to promote the launch of the Nintendo 3DS as a guide in the Louvre. While company executives have previously dismissed and decried smartphone gaming, Miyamoto was asked about his favorite non-Nintendo game and for the first time, admitted that Angry Birds is his favorite. He said that he can tell Rovio is "having fun developing the game" and that it has a "very creative side," that was "inspiring us to try even harder, and create even more unexpected new things." Except for those moments when he steps into the hallway for a spot of pig-smashing, as you do.
Miyamoto enjoys Angry Birds, sees inspiration to create 'unexpected new things'
Shigeru Miyamoto loves Angry Birds, telling Edge that the 2009 mobile slingshot game is his favorite of the past year – which may come as a shock to those who consider smartphone games a dangerous threat to systems like Nintendo's 3DS."What I like about Angry Birds is that it has a traditional videogame [feel] to it, but also a very creative side," Miyamoto said. "And you can really feel that they're having fun developing the game. That's what I like about it." Miyamoto admitted that he doesn't typically talk in interviews about non-Nintendo games he's enjoying.Rather than express deep fear about the fact that phone games can be enjoyable, Miyamoto said he pays little attention to the medium. "I check up on them sometimes, but I don't have a lot of time," he said, before comparing the medium to his company's work. "I think we also have a history of having certain fun ideas and making a game out of it, and there's lots of other people also doing this [now]. This kind of environment inspires us to try even harder, and create even more unexpected new things."
The Daily Grind: How would you improve tutorials?
Yesterday on Massively Speaking we had a lively discussion about what we dislike in MMO tutorials (the popups, oh the popups!) and how we'd improve them. But we are just a few humble souls slaving over old-fashioned typewriters, while you are a legion of computer-savvy geeks who have timed the wild, wild web. So how would you improve tutorials? Keep in mind that MMO tutorials can and should be aimed at two different demographics: those who have never played online RPGs before and those who are experienced genre vets who are giving this game a go. Introducing a newcomer to the genre in such a way that he or she is not scared off is trickier than you might suspect, especially in the era of Angry Birds accessibility. What could be done to ease new players into the games? How could tutorials better transmit the information that you truly need and skip the stuff that you don't? Let's brainstorm today! No idea is too silly, except for the sixth, 20th, and 41st comments. Those are just wack. Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices
If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.
Angry Birds cartoon coming to 'all possible platforms' this year
As if there wasn't already enough Angry Birds in your life, Rovio has announced a weekly cartoon series will debut later this year. The news comes from a media conference in Cannes, France, as reported by the BBC, where Rovio animation head Nick Dorra revealed the 52 episode series will be coming to "all possible platforms."Dorra noted that the cartoon would provide fans with a new way to take part and would also draw newcomers to the franchise. Furthermore, Dorra stated that "Angry Birds is not just about the gameplay," elaborating that the franchise will evolve to be "less and less about the slingshot and more about the characters and their adventures and all different kinds of games in different forms." That's good news, because we've always felt that the blue bird's motivation is unclear.
April Fools' Day 2012: And the rest
It was a fairly lively April Fools' Day this year -- not only did we manage to make it all day without being duped, deceived or disillusioned, but at times we were genuinely entertained by what the technology and gaming companies of the world were able to dream up.On the other hand, the stuff invented for April Fools' Day is often times way, way cooler than the products that actually get made, which is sort of depressing when you stop and think about it. It's like the news cycle on April Fools' Day is glimpse into a world where magic is still alive in the hearts and minds of millions. Sigh.Anyway, we've taken the liberty of compiling the gags and goofs we haven't already posted about into this specific chunk of Internet, so head on past the break for a look at realities better than our own.
Switched On: Angry Nerds
Oh no! The evil pigs of purchase inhibition taken the valuable eggs of smartphone desire and captured them within a complex structure. Fortunately, there are a number of powerful birds that can be slung through the air, space or various sets of children's movies to smash down the structure. Why can't they just fly through the air since they're birds, you may ask? Gee, you sure ask a lot of questions. Just plunk down your $0.99 and gear up for in-app purchases for these valuable premiums.
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.
Rovio acquires Futuremark Game Studios, seeks a life less poultry
In what's likely a proactive bid to prevent its one-note franchise from crashing down into unpopular orbit, Rovio's spreading its wings beyond that flock of malcontent fowl and adding to its in-house development team. Helping further speed its forward merchandising momentum is the Finnish company's recent acquisition of Futuremark Game Studios -- formerly an offshoot of benchmarking outfit Futuremark. The small developer, while nowhere near as successful as its new parent company, has a trio of titles, like Hungribles and Unstoppable Gorg, currently available across the iOS, PC and Xbox platforms. No word on what projects the studio will be tasked with under this new regime, but it's a safe bet Angry Birds Rotisserie won't be on the schedule.
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.
Seattle Space Needle is a giant Angry Birds slingshot
We used to think the Seattle Space Needle was erected to keep aliens from landing their ships, lest they get the poking of a lifetime. Turns out it was always meant to fling angry birds into outer space.
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]
