“I feel blessed to announce such a transaction with Rovio,” Sega’s boss says of a £625 million deal to buy the maker of Angry Birds.
Sega has confirmed that it’s cut a deal to buy Finnish studio Rovio Entertainment, the firm behind Angry Birds. The takeover is said to be worth $ 776 million, or £625 million.
Originally reported by the Wall Street Journal last week, the move has since been confirmed with Sega itself, with president and CEO Haruki Satomi making an effusive statement published by Sky News.
“Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field,” Satomi said. “I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns Angry Birds, which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry leading mobile game development and operating capabilities.”
Angry Birds first launched in 2009 and soon became a phenomenon, with billions of downloads and a couple of animated spin-off movies emerging in 2016 and 2019. Rovio produced numerous games both before and after that feathered, physics-based hit, but it’s doubtful Sega purchased the studio for games like Bounce Touch, Shopping Madness, or Love Rocks Starring Shakira.
Rovio chief executive Alexandre Pelletier-Norman appears to share Sega’s enthusiasm for the buyout. “I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog, captivated by its state-of-the-art design,” he said in his own statement. “Later, when I played Angry Birds for the first time, I knew that gaming had evolved into a true mainstream phenomenon, with the power to shape modern culture… Our mission is to ‘craft joy’ and we are thrilled at the idea of using our expertise and tools to bring even more joy to our players, enhancing and expanding Rovio’s and Sega’s vibrant IPs.”
The deal is still subject to approval by shareholders, so we can only speculate as to how Sega (or Sega Sammy Holdings) will make the most of its new $1 billion venture. Our guess? We’ll soon be able to fling Sonic the Hedgehog at a greenhouse full of pigs in a Sonic x Angry Birds crossover special.
Read more: Yuzo Koshiro’s Sonic
