When Angry Birds first appeared on the Play Store, it was a revelation in terms of casual gameplay, graphics, and just plain cuteness. Who could resist putting those naughty piggies back in their place by catapulting an Angry Bird into their buildings? As time went on, Angry Birds creator, Rovio, produced a slew of games, a TV show, and even a full-length movie along the same premise but struggled to move away from the franchise. And so today we bring news that Rovio (and its stable of Angry Birds) have been purchased by Japanese gaming giant, Sega, in a deal worth $775 million.
According to the press release, Sega has acquired Rovio (and the entirety of Rovio's outstanding shares) for $775 million in an all-cash deal. The deal is expected to close during Q2 of 2023 which means sometime in the next couple of months.
What does Sega want with Rovio?
Basically, Sega wants to use Rovio's game operating experience in Europe and the United States and also to support cross-platforming, which means we can expect to see some Rovio titles coming to gaming platforms other than Android and iOS in the future. Rovio first came into being in 2003 which means it's got a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the mobile-gaming segment that Sega can tap into.
Who knows, we could soon see some Angry Birds flying on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or Playstation gaming platforms and more Sega titles on mobile phones.
