Birds to get angry in China
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Shanghai Daily, August 1, 2011
Angry Birds, one of the most popular games played by users of mobile devices, is flying into China with new games specially designed for the country and branded products that will include themed mooncakes.
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Chinese fans will be able to buy various products in stores or online within "coming months," Rovio Entertainment, the game's developer, said during Chinajoy, the games expo which ended in Shanghai yesterday.
"Angry Birds will continue its magic in China. We recognize the uniqueness of China and our Chinese fans," Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio's chief marketing officer, said at a forum during the event.
Angry Birds downloads have reached more than 300 million globally and Finland-based Rovio expects 100 million downloads in China by the end of the year, Vesterbacka said.
Among its plans for China, Rovio is developing a new "Moon Festival" episode for Angry Birds Seasons to be available by the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
Rovio is also to partner with Shanghai-based firm Madhouse which will provide mobile advertising content.
Mobile games have become more and more popular with the increased use of smart phones and the 3G network, industry insiders said, and the Angry Birds series of games has been among the top 3 paid applications in Apple's App Store for several months.
Rovio is hoping to expand the Angry Birds brand beyond the games sector, especially in China. It plans to open 100 stores on the Chinese mainland to sell franchised products and a line of Angry Birds shoes is to be sold at Letao, an online shoe company.
Mooncakes with an Angry Birds theme will also be available in China, the company said.
In the digital entertainment sector, Angry Birds as a brand ranks No. 3 in China behind Disney and Hello Kitty, Vesterbacka said, and the company envisaged a Disney-like expansion with Angry Birds films and books.
Rovio has opened an office in Shanghai and it is "recruiting people all the time," the company said.
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