Sega Acquires Angry Birds Developer Rovio for €706 Million - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 17 April 2023 / 2,964 Views
Sega, a subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings, announced it has acquired mobile game company, Rovio Entertainment for €706 Million, via Sega's UK subsidiary Sega Europe.
Sega Sammy Holdings' Board of Directors and Rovio's Board of Directors have both agreed to the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of the 2024/3 fiscal year.
"Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field," said Sega Sammy Holdings President and Group CEO Haruki and Satomi. "I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns Angry Birds, which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry leading mobile game development and operating capabilities.
"Historically, as represented by the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Sega has released countless video game titles to various gaming platforms. I am confident that, through combination of both companies’ brands, characters, fanbase, as well as corporate culture and functionality, there will be significant synergies created going forward."
Rovio CEO Alexandre Pelletier-Normand added, "I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog, captivated by its state-of-the-art design. Later, when I played Angry Birds for the first time, I knew that gaming had evolved into a true mainstream phenomenon, with the power to shape modern culture.
"Joining Rovio has been an honour and I am proud to have seen Angry Birds continue to grow, as we released new games, series and films. Less known but equally impressive is our industry-leading proprietary technology platform, Beacon, holding 20 years of expertise, allowing tight-knit teams to develop world-class GaaS products.
"Our mission is to ‘Craft Joy’ and we are thrilled at the idea of using our expertise and tools to bring even more joy to our players, enhancing and expanding Rovio’s and Sega’s vibrant IPs.
"Red and Sonic the Hedgehog: two globally recognized and iconic characters made by two remarkably complementary companies, with a worldwide reach that spans mobile, PC/console, and beyond. Combining the strengths of Rovio and Sega presents an incredibly exciting future."
Angry Birds was one of the first big mobile hits with the original released in 2009. It was the first mobile game to top one billion downloads and as of last year the game catalog for Rovio surpassed five billion downloads.
Rovio was founded in 2003 in Helsinki, Finland and currently has studios based in Espoo, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Montreal. The developer has expanded the Angry Birds IP with several TV series and two films.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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I see this as a purchase with a ton of upside. Toss in some skins of popular Sega IPs is an easy one. Now that Sega owns the IP, they could make a 3D version for PC, consoles with a level designer and make it F2P. Source out IP for more movies, TV show, toys, etc. Boom! Regain popularity again.
good for Sega if they want to expand to other markets, but the price is too high tbh....
it will be worth it if Rovio made another mobile hit.
That's what Sega is gambling on. Another hit on mobile makes more profit in 3 months than the entirety of everything they release on consoles and pc in 7.5 years.
