Rovio: Difference between revisions - Consumer_Action

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==Delisting of games==

In 2019, a majority of the Angry Birds ~~game~~ made from 2009-2014 were delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Originally, the delistings were for "testing purposes".<ref>[https://x.com/AngryBirds/status/1156820806460219392 "HI Jordan, we've removed some of our older titles from app stores for testing purposes. Stay tuned!" - @AngryBirds (August 1, 2019)]</ref> The updated reasoning from Rovio was due to "changing devices and marketplace requirements".<ref>https://roviosupport.helpshift.com/hc/en/5-rovio-entertainment/faq/2271-i-can-no-longer-find-my-old-angry-birds-games-in-the-store/</ref> This unexpected delisting caused fans of the series to utilize the "#BringBack2012" hashtag on social media sites such as [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]].<ref>https://brockpress.com/rovio-the-company-behind-angry-birds-is-entirely-responsible-for-its-own-downfall/</ref> In November 2021, a remake of the original ''Angry Birds'' game titled "''Rovio Classics: Angry Birds''" was in the works.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/articles/bringing-back-2012-angry-birds-sets-a-flightpath-for-a-re-release/</ref> This version was a paid title and removed third party advertisements from the game. In 2023, the game was delisted from the Google Play store and renamed to "Red's First Flight" on the Apple App Store due to "the game's impact on [its] wider games portfolio."<ref>https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rovio-says-classic-angry-birds-was-delisted-due-to-impact-on-search-results</ref>

In 2019, a majority of the Angry Birds games made from 2009-2014 were delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Originally, the delistings were for "testing purposes".<ref>[https://x.com/AngryBirds/status/1156820806460219392 "HI Jordan, we've removed some of our older titles from app stores for testing purposes. Stay tuned!" - @AngryBirds (August 1, 2019)]</ref> The updated reasoning from Rovio was due to "changing devices and marketplace requirements".<ref>https://roviosupport.helpshift.com/hc/en/5-rovio-entertainment/faq/2271-i-can-no-longer-find-my-old-angry-birds-games-in-the-store/</ref> This unexpected delisting caused fans of the series to utilize the "#BringBack2012" hashtag on social media sites such as [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]].<ref>https://brockpress.com/rovio-the-company-behind-angry-birds-is-entirely-responsible-for-its-own-downfall/</ref> In November 2021, a remake of the original ''Angry Birds'' game titled "''Rovio Classics: Angry Birds''" was in the works.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/articles/bringing-back-2012-angry-birds-sets-a-flightpath-for-a-re-release/</ref> This version was a paid title and removed third party advertisements from the game. In 2023, the game was delisted from the Google Play store and renamed to "Red's First Flight" on the Apple App Store due to "the game's impact on [its] wider games portfolio."<ref>https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rovio-says-classic-angry-birds-was-delisted-due-to-impact-on-search-results</ref>

These actions and justifications are further put into question as 2-3 years into the sale of ''Angry Birds Trilogy'', the publisher Activision pulled the sale of the game and downloadable content (DLC) from other platforms, specifically Xbox 360/One and the Sony PlayStation 3/4 due to licensing issues with Rovio.<ref>https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/47156-dlc-delisted/</ref><ref>https://www.trueachievements.com/forum/viewthread.aspx?tid=691318</ref> Another instance was with the ''Angry Birds Space'' PC port on the Steam store, as the game has been delisted for many years.<ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/210550/Angry_Birds_Space/</ref>

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===Results of Delisting of Games===

While newer downloads and purchases aren't available, users who have downloaded or purchased the games before ~~are~~ still ~~able to~~ access to their ~~game~~.

While newer downloads and purchases aren't available, users who have downloaded or purchased the games before can still access their games.

This however doesn't mean users are guaranteed to be able access their games in the future, as they can remove their old apps from the digital stores preventing downloads ~~alltogether~~, or shutdown their game's servers since some of their games require ~~user~~ to be always connected to the internet (Angry Birds Go, Angry Birds Epic etc), or even in some cases where their game's core assets are not in the base game but downloaded from Rovio's servers (Angry Birds Epic)

This, however, doesn't mean users are guaranteed to be able to access their games in the future, as they can remove their old apps from the digital stores preventing downloads altogether, or shutdown their game's servers since some of their games require users to be always connected to the internet (Angry Birds Go, Angry Birds Epic etc), or even in some cases where their game's core assets are not in the base game but downloaded from Rovio's servers (Angry Birds Epic)

===Implications===

Rovio's newer titles are known for implementing micro-transactions<ref>https://mobilesyrup.com/2015/08/23/review-angry-birds-2-is-a-great-game-ruined-by-ridiculous-microtransactions/</ref> and "rewarded video" advertisements.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/rovio-ads/</ref> While the original Angry Birds titles were later updated to include in-app purchases and advertisements, Rovio Classics: Angry Birds had a single $0.99 purchase for 390 levels.<ref>https://www.adexchanger.com/ad-exchange-news/monday-27022023/</ref> The delisting of both the original games and paid version shows the importance of preservation and value in mobile games and how both aspects are lacking in the 2020s.

==Forced arbitration==

[[File:Rovio AB2 Arbitration.PNG|thumb|right]]

On February 5, 2025, players of the game ''Angry Birds 2'' were treated with a popup message mentioning the changes made to the terms of service that would "resolve disputes in arbitration".<ref>https://x.com/ChickenLover_YT/status/1887352965461119116</ref> Users were only met with two options: agree to the updated terms or view the changed terms.<ref>https://cloud.rovio.com/privacyweb/index.html?locale=en</ref> This is known as [[forced arbitration]] and is made so affected users cannot join class action lawsuits, but rather settle in arbitration court where a third party determines the outcome rather than a jury. This is proven with the new line, "THIS AGREEMENT MEANS THAT YOU AND ROVIO AGREE TO NOT HAVE SUCH CLAIMS RESOLVED IN A TRIAL BY A JUDGE OR JURY."<ref>https://www.rovio.com/terms-of-service/</ref>

==References==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Delisting of games==
-In 2019, a majority of the Angry Birds game made from 2009-2014 were delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Originally, the delistings were for "testing purposes".<ref>[https://x.com/AngryBirds/status/1156820806460219392 "HI Jordan, we've removed some of our older titles from app stores for testing purposes. Stay tuned!" - @AngryBirds (August 1, 2019)]</ref> The updated reasoning from Rovio was due to "changing devices and marketplace requirements".<ref>https://roviosupport.helpshift.com/hc/en/5-rovio-entertainment/faq/2271-i-can-no-longer-find-my-old-angry-birds-games-in-the-store/</ref> This unexpected delisting caused fans of the series to utilize the "#BringBack2012" hashtag on social media sites such as [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]].<ref>https://brockpress.com/rovio-the-company-behind-angry-birds-is-entirely-responsible-for-its-own-downfall/</ref> In November 2021, a remake of the original ''Angry Birds'' game titled "''Rovio Classics: Angry Birds''" was in the works.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/articles/bringing-back-2012-angry-birds-sets-a-flightpath-for-a-re-release/</ref> This version was a paid title and removed third party advertisements from the game. In 2023, the game was delisted from the Google Play store and renamed to "Red's First Flight" on the Apple App Store due to "the game's impact on [its] wider games portfolio."<ref>https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rovio-says-classic-angry-birds-was-delisted-due-to-impact-on-search-results</ref>
+In 2019, a majority of the Angry Birds games made from 2009-2014 were delisted from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Originally, the delistings were for "testing purposes".<ref>[https://x.com/AngryBirds/status/1156820806460219392 "HI Jordan, we've removed some of our older titles from app stores for testing purposes. Stay tuned!" - @AngryBirds (August 1, 2019)]</ref> The updated reasoning from Rovio was due to "changing devices and marketplace requirements".<ref>https://roviosupport.helpshift.com/hc/en/5-rovio-entertainment/faq/2271-i-can-no-longer-find-my-old-angry-birds-games-in-the-store/</ref> This unexpected delisting caused fans of the series to utilize the "#BringBack2012" hashtag on social media sites such as [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]].<ref>https://brockpress.com/rovio-the-company-behind-angry-birds-is-entirely-responsible-for-its-own-downfall/</ref> In November 2021, a remake of the original ''Angry Birds'' game titled "''Rovio Classics: Angry Birds''" was in the works.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/articles/bringing-back-2012-angry-birds-sets-a-flightpath-for-a-re-release/</ref> This version was a paid title and removed third party advertisements from the game. In 2023, the game was delisted from the Google Play store and renamed to "Red's First Flight" on the Apple App Store due to "the game's impact on [its] wider games portfolio."<ref>https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rovio-says-classic-angry-birds-was-delisted-due-to-impact-on-search-results</ref>
 These actions and justifications are further put into question as 2-3 years into the sale of ''Angry Birds Trilogy'', the publisher Activision pulled the sale of the game and downloadable content (DLC) from other platforms, specifically Xbox 360/One and the Sony PlayStation 3/4 due to licensing issues with Rovio.<ref>https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/47156-dlc-delisted/</ref><ref>https://www.trueachievements.com/forum/viewthread.aspx?tid=691318</ref> Another instance was with the ''Angry Birds Space'' PC port on the Steam store, as the game has been delisted for many years.<ref>https://store.steampowered.com/app/210550/Angry_Birds_Space/</ref>
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ===Results of Delisting of Games===
-While newer downloads and purchases aren't available, users who have downloaded or purchased the games before are still able to access to their game.
+While newer downloads and purchases aren't available, users who have downloaded or purchased the games before can still access their games.
-This however doesn't mean users are guaranteed to be able access their games in the future, as they can remove their old apps from the digital stores preventing downloads alltogether, or shutdown their game's servers since some of their games require user to be always connected to the internet (Angry Birds Go, Angry Birds Epic etc), or even in some cases where their game's core assets are not in the base game but downloaded from Rovio's servers (Angry Birds Epic)
+This, however, doesn't mean users are guaranteed to be able to access their games in the future, as they can remove their old apps from the digital stores preventing downloads altogether, or shutdown their game's servers since some of their games require users to be always connected to the internet (Angry Birds Go, Angry Birds Epic etc), or even in some cases where their game's core assets are not in the base game but downloaded from Rovio's servers (Angry Birds Epic)
 ===Implications===
 Rovio's newer titles are known for implementing micro-transactions<ref>https://mobilesyrup.com/2015/08/23/review-angry-birds-2-is-a-great-game-ruined-by-ridiculous-microtransactions/</ref> and "rewarded video" advertisements.<ref>https://www.rovio.com/rovio-ads/</ref> While the original Angry Birds titles were later updated to include in-app purchases and advertisements, Rovio Classics: Angry Birds had a single $0.99 purchase for 390 levels.<ref>https://www.adexchanger.com/ad-exchange-news/monday-27022023/</ref> The delisting of both the original games and paid version shows the importance of preservation and value in mobile games and how both aspects are lacking in the 2020s.
+==Forced arbitration==
+[[File:Rovio AB2 Arbitration.PNG|thumb|right]]
+On February 5, 2025, players of the game ''Angry Birds 2'' were treated with a popup message mentioning the changes made to the terms of service that would "resolve disputes in arbitration".<ref>https://x.com/ChickenLover_YT/status/1887352965461119116</ref> Users were only met with two options: agree to the updated terms or view the changed terms.<ref>https://cloud.rovio.com/privacyweb/index.html?locale=en</ref> This is known as [[forced arbitration]] and is made so affected users cannot join class action lawsuits, but rather settle in arbitration court where a third party determines the outcome rather than a jury. This is proven with the new line, "THIS AGREEMENT MEANS THAT YOU AND ROVIO AGREE TO NOT HAVE SUCH CLAIMS RESOLVED IN A TRIAL BY A JUDGE OR JURY."<ref>https://www.rovio.com/terms-of-service/</ref>
 ==References==