- Sega is soon to expand IP across different formats with the help of its new acquisition deal.
- Rovio Entertainment, One of the top game developer company is soon to be part of Sega.
Sega is Set to Buy Angry Birds Developer Rovio Entertainment
Angry Birds developer Rovio is soon to be part of Sega with a deal of $775 million. The game is expected to be beneficial for the home of Sonic Hedgehog. The company is said to expand its IP across different formats.
Sega the Japanese company is acquiring Rovio, the developer of Angry Bird as per its announcement. The mobile game developer will be acquired for $775 million which is a 19 percent premium over its share price on Friday as per The Wall Street Journal. It is expected that the acquisition will end by the end of September.
The Deal shall Help Sega to Compete with the Rival Nintendo
In a press release, Sega said it hopes to 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.” It sounds like a similar aim to what Sega’s rival Nintendo has been doing with its franchises, with smartphone releases like Mario Kart Tour, Pokémon Go, and Super Mario Run. Sega also wants to help Rovio “expand its platform outside of mobile gaming.”
“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,” said Haruki Satomi, president and group CEO of Sega parent company Sega Sammy holdings.
The Angry Birds franchise launched in 2009 by Rovio is claimed to be the first game series to reach 1 billion downloads and has been downloaded more than 5 billion times.
The acquisition deal with Sega didn’t happen in one go or Sega was not the only one trying. The discussion between Playtika an Israel-based company and Rovio also had happened earlier until it ended last March.
