Sega To Buy Angry Birds Studio Rovio For Some Reason
Over the weekend the rumor sprouted up that Sega was looking to buy out mobile developer Rovio for a billion dollars. We were skeptical because (a) the only thing Rovio is known for is Angry Birds and that property hit its peak ages ago, and (b) there’s no way Sega has a billion dollars.
But apparently, it was all true — except for the “billion dollars” part. Rovio has been purchased for a bit less than that: 706 million Euros, or $775 million when converted to US money. But when the deal is officially approved in September, it will happen: Angry Birds will be a Sega property (plus anything else Rovio has lying around).
Any particular reason for this, Sega? An explanation would be nice. The game company said in a press release that they expected mobile gaming to “grow to 56% of the overall gaming market by 2026,” so this move was based on that theory. “[We will use] Rovio’s distinctive know-how in live service mobile game operation to bring Sega’s current and new titles to the global mobile gaming market, where there is large potential, and many users can be accessed,” they said.
It’s worth noting that a crossover between Sonic and Angry Birds already exists: it’s called Angry Birds Sonic Dash Epic. Both properties have also already had their own movies, and Sonic is no stranger to the mobile market as it is. Not much could actually change here.
Despite acquisitions being the hot new trend in the video game industry, Sega does not partake in it often. The last time they bought another company was in 2013 when Atlus became a Sega brand. That was arguably a better purchase as Atlus makes the Persona series, which has only become more valuable in the years since.
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