Rovio
Rovio Entertainment Corporation (simplified to Rovio) is a Finnish mobile game developer and publisher founded in 2003 as "Relude".[1] The company would later rebrand to "Rovio" in 2005.[1] In April 2023, Rovio was in talks with SEGA to be acquired by the Japanese gaming company[2], with the deal concluding in August.[3]
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2003 |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Official website | https://rovio.com |
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".[4] The updated reasoning from Rovio was due to "changing devices and marketplace requirements".[5] This unexpected delisting caused fans of the series to utilize the "#BringBack2012" hashtag on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.[6] In November 2021, a remake of the original Angry Birds game titled "Rovio Classics: Angry Birds" was in the works.[7] 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."[8]
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.[9][10] Another instance was with the Angry Birds Space PC port on the Steam store, as the game has been delisted for many years.[11]
Implications
Rovio's newer titles are known for implementing micro-transactions[12] and "rewarded video" advertisements.[13] 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.[14] 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.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.rovio.com/rovio-history/
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/17/23686155/sega-sammy-acquires-rovio-angry-birds-developer-mobile-games
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/sega-finalizes-purchase-of-rovio
- ↑ "HI Jordan, we've removed some of our older titles from app stores for testing purposes. Stay tuned!" - @AngryBirds (August 1, 2019)
- ↑ https://roviosupport.helpshift.com/hc/en/5-rovio-entertainment/faq/2271-i-can-no-longer-find-my-old-angry-birds-games-in-the-store/
- ↑ https://brockpress.com/rovio-the-company-behind-angry-birds-is-entirely-responsible-for-its-own-downfall/
- ↑ https://www.rovio.com/articles/bringing-back-2012-angry-birds-sets-a-flightpath-for-a-re-release/
- ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/rovio-says-classic-angry-birds-was-delisted-due-to-impact-on-search-results
- ↑ https://forum.psnprofiles.com/topic/47156-dlc-delisted/
- ↑ https://www.trueachievements.com/forum/viewthread.aspx?tid=691318
- ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/210550/Angry_Birds_Space/
- ↑ https://mobilesyrup.com/2015/08/23/review-angry-birds-2-is-a-great-game-ruined-by-ridiculous-microtransactions/
- ↑ https://www.rovio.com/rovio-ads/
- ↑ https://www.adexchanger.com/ad-exchange-news/monday-27022023/