Sega has announced its plans to acquire Rovio, the Finnish video-game company responsible for the creation of the popular game, Angry Birds, for €706 million (~$776 million). Sega is seeking to expand its mobile gaming business and acquiring Rovio will give it access to Beacon, the platform that simplifies game design, monetization, and maintenance.
In a statement, Haruki Satomi, President and CEO of Sega Sammy, expressed his excitement about the acquisition and praised Rovio’s skilled employees and industry-leading mobile game development and operating capabilities. Angry Birds was a massive success in the early 2010s, with over two billion downloads of the game and a movie inspired by the game grossing almost $347 million worldwide.
Though the game’s popularity has decreased in recent years, Rovio still boasts over five billion downloads. Last year, the game returned to the App Store for 99 cents as Rovio Classics: Angry Birds. While Rovio has yet to produce anything close to the success of Angry Birds, it remains to be seen what Sega’s acquisition of the company will bring. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2023.
