After a decline in earnings last year, Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment plans to rebound and expand in Asia by developing its game to fit local consumers' preferences.
Rovio's chief commercial officer Alex Lambeek said they have the building capability to expand into parts of the world where the company is not strong. He said it can be done by collaborating with partners and not doing everything themselves. Notably, the company joined forces with Fox International Channels in April.
Angry Birds is a game that lets players fling different types of birds at pigs with a slingshot. It was released in 2009 and became an instant hit. After 15 games featuring the birds, Rovio finally announced a sequel.Angry Birds 2 was released on July 30.
Rovio recently announced that its operating profit dropped by 73 percent in 2014, because of a decline in its licensing business. This could easily mean that Angry Birds is losing its appeal. Another problem that the Finnish company is facing are falling consusmer produc business, including clothing, toys, and brand licensing. According to Rovio, its 2014 operating profit went down to 10 million euros from 2013's 36.5 million, and 2012's 76.8 million.
Out of the 40 million downloads of Angry Birds 2, 75 percent came from China. Meanwhile, the original Angry Birds was downloaded a billion times in China. According to Rovio, there was 3 billion Angry Bird download in China since 2009. The Finnish company partnered with Chinese mobile gaming company Kunlun Inc to tailor fit Angry Birds 2 to how the Chinese likes to play their games. Chinese customers want to play the game in their own language and humor.
Angry Birds 2 has more characters, has high-definition scenes, lets players pick the bird, and it allows gamers to play with their friends.
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