Photo: Sega Sammy
Prepare for the highly anticipated ‘Angry Birds’ and Sonic crossover event!
Gaming giant Sega Sammy has recently finalized its acquisition of Rovio, the developer behind the popular Angry Birds franchise. The deal, which was first proposed in April, involved Sega paying a staggering $776 million to secure the company. Despite the declining popularity of Angry Birds in recent years, Sega is optimistic that this strategic move will strengthen its presence in the competitive mobile gaming market.
Rovio, however, offers Sega more than just the Angry Birds IP. In addition to the iconic franchise and its various spinoff games, Rovio is also known for titles such as Sugar Blast and Small Town Murders. While these may not be high-profile IPs, they provide Sega with a well-established infrastructure for game development, publishing, and mobile advertising. This positions Sega to quickly leverage its own popular IPs, including Sonic, Samba de Amigo, Persona, and Football Manager, by creating mobile titles. Furthermore, Rovio’s extensive catalog of older games presents an opportunity for Sega to explore potential mobile ports.
Sega’s CEO, Haruki Satomi, previously expressed the company’s long-term goal of expanding its presence in the mobile gaming market, recognizing its high potential. With this acquisition, Sega not only gains a foothold in the mobile space but also the potential to continue developing new Angry Birds mobile games. Despite the franchise’s waning popularity, Angry Birds still holds significant value, with its own movies, TV shows, and even a peculiar restaurant in New York City. Collaborating Angry Birds with Sega’s beloved blue hedgehog, Sonic, may reignite interest and revive the once-dominant mobile game.