It looks like nothing can stop Rovio’s Angry Birds from breaking new records or becoming the most popular game ever. Just recently, the Finnish company proudly announced that its game was downloaded more than 500 million times across different platforms, like iPhones, PC, Chrome Web browser etc. From a YouTube video released by Rovio to mark this occasion, we learn some amazing facts about Angry Birds, such as: fans have played a total of 266 billion levels and they also used 400 billion birds to target the egg-stealing pigs.

Only last month Rovio was announcing that their game surpassed 400 million downloads, but this new record shows us that this game is as popular as ever, proving that it is not just a fad, as some people believed.

All these numbers are amazing, but probably the most amazing thing about Angry Birds is how the game evolved to be so much more than just a game, it has become an entertainment franchise that offers fans everything, from different variations of the game, and plush toys to books and clothing.

New Angry Birds Books Available Soon, Rovio will Open Its First Official Retail Stores

Speaking of Angry Birds merchandise, it seems that the birds are going to star in a few new books. No, these are not new cook books; I’m talking about the 2 new coloring books that are set to hit the market by the end of the month. The Angry Birds Big Red Doodle Book and Big Green Doodle Book will not be the last books we’ll see from Rovio. Actually, the Finland-based company is working on a series of educational books featuring the game’s cast. These manuals, intended for kids ages 4 through 16, will teach geometry and physics concepts by launching plush birds in the classroom using a slingshot (I am guessing that it’s going to be like a real-life version of the game). These manuals are not yet out, so we can’t say how efficient they are, but I’m sure that they will be fun to learn from.

Game-related merchandise is not something that Rovio is taking lightly. Why would they? According to Bloomberg, Angry Birds merchandise accounts for about 20 % of Rovio’s business. Game-themed merchandise, such as plush toys, shoes and clothing, had a great success around the world, but especially in China, which is currently Rovio’s fastest growing market. To attract more fans, and to compete with knock-off Angry Birds merchandise, the Finnish company decided to open several retail stores in China.

Rovio decided to take no legal action against the plethora of unlicensed products that are very popular in China; instead they will be offering official merchandise inspired by the pirated one, e.g. mylar balloons. The Angry Birds developer is hoping that these new stores (no details were shared about when and where the first store will open) will bring revenue of approximately $100 million in 2012. Before opening stores in China, though, Rovio announced that they will open the very first official store in Helsinki, Finland soon.

There is also talk about an Angry Birds movie; Rovio acquired both an animation studio and a former Marvel exec, but for now they are not giving away any details about when or if these plans will move forward.

After conquering the world with Angry Birds – the game, and other game-themed merchandise, such as plush toys, clothing, cookbook, Rovio, the Finnish developer who hit a gold mine with this game, is taking over the “unintelligent” mobile phones market, as well. More exactly, Rovio is introducing its game to emerging countries, like India and China, where the majority of mobile phone users are not smartphone users.

To deliver the Angry Birds to these countries, Rovio has partnered up with Nokia, whose Asha 300 and 303 cellphones will come pre-loaded with the demo version of the mega-popular game. The users will then have the possibility to download the full version of the game through Nokia’s app store.

With Rovio going after the Chinese market, and 86 percent of cellphone users owning a non-smartphone, it is only logical that Rovio is trying to convert that percent into Angry Birds players. Rovio has openly pursued Chinese players by releasing an episode especially for them (for sure everybody remembers the Mooncake Festival episode) along with game-themed merchandise. Rovio also opened an office in China, and is very proud that its brand is one of the most copied brands in the country.

During Nokia’s World Conference in London, where Nokia announced their collaboration with Rovio, Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Marketing Officer at Rovio, mentioned that he’s happy to make Angry Birds available to everybody, not just smartphone users, and he also is expecting that this new partnership will help the game reach 800 million downloads soon. Some might think that Vesterbacka’s expectations are too high set, but we’ve seen how well Rovio’s game did so far; therefore, they shouldn’t have any problems reaching double the amount of downloads the game presently has.

Peter Vesterbacka also demonstrated how Angry Birds runs on Nokia’s new phones, and I must say that the game performed just as well as it performs on other gadgets. The Asha 300 and 303 phones feature physical keyboards, as well as touchscreen displays that allow users to play the game just as they would on other touchscreen devices. Even though these cellphones don’t offer all the capabilities that an iPhone or Android smartphone offers, their low price and the few included features (such as Facebook Chat, Angry Birds, and access to Nokia’s app store) make them very desirable in countries like India, China, Africa, Brazil or Mexico.

This new collaboration between the two Finnish companies proves to everybody that Rovio is a very customer-oriented company, and that they are always looking for new ways to satisfy fans, and bring the Angry Birds experience to as many people as possible.

As expected, the latest Angry Birds Seasons update is here, one week before Halloween. The Ham’O’Ween episode debuted a few days ago and is featuring 30 brand new levels for you to enjoy. But be careful, you will encounter skeletons, jack-o-lanterns and an eerie atmosphere throughout the levels. This Halloween episode marks the beginning of the game’s 2012 Seasons.

Rovio released Seasons for the first time last year, before Halloween. Since then, we have seen eight episodes based on different holidays, such as Christmas (the episode called “Season’s Greedings”), St. Patrick’s Day (“Go Green, Get Lucky”), or Easter (“Easter Eggs”).

Don’t Let Angry Birds’ Newest Cast Member’s Looks Deceive You

In addition to the new, spooky 30 levels, Rovio had another surprise for the fans: they released a new “angry bird”. This new bird, known for now as The Orange Bird, doesn’t look too dangerous at first sight, but don’t let this fool you. The pigs won’t know what hit them when this bird uses its special ability to smash their structures. To access the Orange Bird’s “angry side” you will need to aim the bird between two pig structures, let it drop, and then wait about 2 seconds for the bird to inflate into a huge orange balloon that will wipe out buildings. You can also trigger the bird’s ability by tapping the screen of your device, but as with the black bird, it work better and does more damage if you allow it to auto-inflate.

Besides the Orange Bird, Angry Birds’ Ham’O’Ween brings fans 6 achievements (iOS only), 1 hidden Golden Egg, a bonus level, plus the Mighty Eagle was released for Seasons as well. Here’s a tip, too: the black pumpkins scattered throughout the levels explode, while the pumpkins will yield 3,000 points.

You might think that this is all that Rovio has to offer for this holiday, but you’re wrong. If you are still undecided what you’re going to be this year for Halloween, then this info is sure to make you happy: the Angry Birds Halloween costumes are now on sale on Rovio’s website. If you purchase now, you will probably get the costume just in time for Trick-or-Treating. There are two different offers on their website, one allows you to purchase 3 costumes for the price of 2 (3 for $99.99), while the other offer is buy one costume, get a free plush toy.

Some fans hope for a Thanksgiving update as well, but it might be a little too soon to release another episode, thus a more realistic expectation would be Christmas. The Christmas update would be the second episode of Angry Birds Seasons 2012, and we can only hope that it’s going to be just as good as the Halloween episode.

Since its debut in 2009, Angry Birds has always made sure that its fans don’t get bored. From updates to game-themed apparel and other merchandise, Rovio, the game’s developer, seems to know exactly what to do to keep people happy. The latest update came out just a couple of weeks ago and we are expecting to see yet another one for the Halloween.

This time, Angry Birds Rio’s section “Airfield Chase” was updated with its final 15 levels. The last chapter of “Airfield Chase”, chapter 10, is available for iOS and Android devices, and is expected to come on other devices soon.

“Airfield Chase” Chapter ten is sure to entertain everyone with its 15 new levels that will challenge your slingshot abilities. There are eight hidden golden apples scattered throughout the levels, so be on the lookout for them. Furthermore, this last chapter of “Airfield Chase” brings an action-packed level (10-15), where a plane carrying caged birds is moving away from you, and wooden crates fall out the back of the plane. For iOS gadgets, this update also has 4 new achievements.

If you don’t own this update, I highly suggest that you go and get it as soon as you can; it won’t disappoint. The Angry Birds Rio update is available on the Apple App Store, as well as on Android Marketplace and Amazon Appstore.

New Angry Bird and Seasons Update This Halloween

More exciting news from the Angry Birds creators: today, during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, CA, Andrew Stalbow, who is Rovio’s general manager in North America, made an announcement that is sure to make happy all the fans: Rovio has a brand new “angry bird” waiting to be released this month. Stalbow didn’t provide any details for this new bird, but they teased the fans posting a picture on their Facebook page that shows the rear end of a yellowish bird, which for sure isn’t the regular yellow bird. I guess we’ll find out everything about this new addition, as well as its ability, pretty soon, since Halloween is just around the corner.

Speaking of teasing, the Finland-based company also released a short video in which we can see 3 blue Angry Birds, dressed up in Halloween costumes and carrying a candy bucket, walking through an eerie area. They see a yellow shape (probably the new unreleased bird), they follow it, something falls into their candy bucket and then the video ends with the birds looking inside the bucket. This is all, but a lot of people speculate that this video is a teaser for the game’s Halloween update, expected to hit the app stores in less than 2 weeks.

For those (few) of you who haven’t played Angry Birds yet, this popular game that is enjoyed worldwide uses simple physics laws and requires you to use a slingshot to “throw” birds at green pigs sheltered by various structures.

Who hasn’t heard of the very entertaining (sometimes frustrating) game Angry Birds? The Finnish company’s game was launched in December 2009 and in less than 2 years has become one of the most popular games around the world. People 5 from 55 years old are enjoying this fairly simple game, in which they need to use a slingshot to shoot birds at the pigs who stole the birds’ precious eggs.

Rovio, the developer, surely hit a gold mine with its game, and they’re not eager to come up with another idea since it’s not only their game that’s bringing them a profit, but also all their licensed merchandise.

So far we’ve seen Angry Birds t-shirts, backpacks, iPhone / iPad cases, plush toys and even Halloween costumes, and the list doesn’t stop here. The latest avian-related products are coming from Gear4, and will be available soon. I am talking about game-themed iPad, iPod and iPhone speakers. You can preview them on Gear4’s website and that’s also where you’ll find their specs and features. For now, the speakers are featuring the Red Bird, the Black Bird and a Helmet-wearing Green Pig, but depending on how well these will sell, I’m guessing they’ll release other designs as well.

The speakers will sell for $79.99 – $99.99, and while the Red Bird will be compatible with any music player possessing a 3.5 mm jack, the Black Bird will only work with Apple gadgets, and the Helmet Pig was made just for iPhone / iPod.

Speaking of merchandise, recently, a New York-based magazine predicted that Mattel’s board game version of the addictive game will be the top toy for this Holiday season. The game, called Angry Birds “Knock on Wood” sells for $14.99, and gives you the opportunity to enjoy a physical version of the game, in case you’re getting bored with the digital app.

Angry Birds Will Be Available on Amazon’s New Tablet

And here is another reason to get you excited: the upset birds will also be landing on Amazon’s new Kindle Fire tablet. Now we can say that the birds are on almost every device under the sun, from iPhone, to PC, PS3 and now on Kindle Fire.

The tablet, presented a few days ago, will start selling in November, it will cost only $199, and will be powered by Google’s Android operating system. The 7-inch display, 8 GB tablet is Amazon’s first tablet and, while I’m sure that it isn’t meant to be iPad’s direct competitor, due to its low price, I’m guessing that some people are going to take it into consideration, especially during the holidays.

I am also guessing that we will see more Angry Birds merchandise and some game updates before the end of the year, and this, of course, can only make us happy.

It seems that Rovio is never running out of new ideas to promote its brand and famous game, Angry Birds. The company’s latest marketing gig took place over the week-end in Singapore, at the Formula One track. Spectators had the opportunity to experience a new way of gaming by controlling the birds’ actions using their voices. Every time they cheered louder, they helped pull the loaded slingshot farther, increasing the chances of hitting the pigs’ structures harder. The whole game was played on digital jumbo screens. Rovio’s Chief Marketing Officer, Peter Vesterbacka, declared that this revolutionary style of playing a game allows fans to create a stronger emotional bond with the game’s cast.

This crowd-controlled version of the game was available thanks to Singapore Telecommunication and Rovio Mobile, who teamed up with startup company, Uplause Ltd. Uplause is a Finnish company, as well, and they specialize in developing social games, such as Angry Birds, for large crowds of people.
This wasn’t just a one-time collaboration between the two Finland-based companies; they are actually planning on taking the birds to other big events, like concerts and sports arenas.

We are currently waiting to hear about an official statement regarding the Rovio-Starbucks deal, which supposedly is going to happen this year, and will allow customers to play Angry Birds and compare their scores on digital leaderboards installed inside Starbucks coffee shops.

Rovio May Start Its Own Publishing Label for Indie Game Studios

Furthermore, there are rumors about the Finnish company getting in the publishing business. With its resources (only in March Rovio managed to raise $42 million from several investors), the company has a lot to offer for any independent mobile game developers that want to go into business with them.
Peter Vesterbacka said that his company has plans for a publishing label, but they’re not ready for any announcements. Still, according to Develop, the Finland-based company is already in talks with a few indie game studios regarding possible collaborations.

For the moment, Rovio is getting busy involving its brand into all kinds of things, like an egg recipes cookbook, which is set to start shipping on October 13th, official baby clothing (from SwaddleDesigns), and even Halloween costumes for the entire family (available on the company’s website). With Angry Birds celebrating 2 years in December 2011 since its launch, many believe that it is about time to look into a new game idea, instead on focusing on just one game. But I am sure that the folks at Rovio know what they’re doing, and when it’s time for a new game, they’ll let us know.

Yes, you read that well, so if you don’t know what you are going to be for Halloween, I just gave you an idea. Apparently, Rovio Mobile, the game’s developer, partnered up with Costume Discounters to offer the cute, but also geeky Angry Birds Halloween costumes based on the popular game’s cast. If you go on the website you will find that there are 14 outfits, including headpieces and infant bunting costumes, available for you to choose from. But you’ll have to hurry, though, if you want to make a memorable impression at the Halloween party this year, because not all the items are in stock, some of them are available for pre-order, while others are already out of stock.

Rovio is also offering the costumes, plus a few Halloween-themed plush toys, on its website. All the outfits are under $50 and the websites ship internationally, as well as in the U.S.

With two big Holidays coming (Thanksgiving and Christmas) we can expect to see a fresh new batch of Angry Birds merchandise, like Thanksgiving plush toys, or Christmas decorations. Some people believe that the whole Angry Birds craze has gone too far, but as long as people are buying these products, why not offer them?

If you are really a devoted fan of the game, then you surely will want to own Rovio’s official wall calendar for 2012. It costs $12.99 and features 16 months (= 16 pages) of birds and pigs images. Yes, 16, 12 months for the year 2012, plus the 4 months left until the end of this year. How’s that for extra value?

We know, of course, that Rovio is working on taking their brand to whole new levels and because of this ambition they are getting involved in all kinds of promotional gigs, like the rumored collaboration between them and Strabucks. By uniting forces with the coffee giant, Rovio is hoping to convert some of Starbuck’s customers into new players, and Starbucks hopes that the people who are going to spend their time playing Angry Birds inside the coffee shops will also buy more beverages. It’s going to be a win-win situation.

It looks like hiring ex Fox Digital Senior VP, Andrew Stalbow, as the North American General Manager was a smart move by Rovio. With his extensive experience he will certainly help the Finland-based company to achieve its dream, that of becoming a huge entertainment franchise. Stalbow is in charge of promoting the Angry Birds brand, setting up great collaborations, and I’ll bet he will also have an important role in advertising the company’s motion picture, which is set to come out in several years.

According to rumors that Starbucks decided not the comment on, Rovio Mobile, the Angry Birds’ developer is getting ready to kick off an advertising partnership with Starbucks, the largest worldwide coffee stores operator. There are no other details about this project, how it’s going to work, or when it is going to start/end. Some speculate that Starbuck will feature a digital leader board for their customers and game fans, and maybe they’ll offer a free coffee (or other products) to top scoring gamers. This is not at all a bad idea and I bet that this popular game will bring even more foot traffic to Starbucks locations.

The leader board idea was already tried out at Barnes & Noble locations throughout U.S. and it turned out to be successful, according to the numbers that say that over 10,000 people spent at least half an hour inside the bookstore, playing the game. But the thing that attracted people most into Barnes & Noble was Rovio’s promotion, which allowed Nook users to receive the virtual Mighty Eagle for free. The Mighty Eagle is an in-app purchase for the Angry Birds game, that normally costs $0.99. A senior VP at Rovio mentioned that this kind of partnerships are very beneficial for retailers, because it turns out that the more time customers spend in one of their stores, the more money they spend, too.

These are not the only promotional campaigns that Rovio is involved in; recently, I saw an ad for the Wonderful Pistachios brand, featuring the red bird. Together with a few other “celebs”, such as Khloe Kardashian and her husband Lamar Odom, the not-so-angry-looking bird is part of the “Get Crackin’” campaign for Wonderful Pistachios.

Angry Birds Coming to Facebook Soon

It is a well-known fact by now that the Finland-based company jumped out of its initial digital world with its popular game. The company, currently valued at around $1.2 billion, is doing very well in more than one division: besides having a best-seller app, Rovio is also making a profit from selling plush toys and t-shirts. Seemingly, they sell 1 million toys and 1 million t-shirts per month! They also released the fact that they will start working on an Angry Birds movie. To help with this project, Rovio hired Marvel former chairman, David Maisel, and they also purchased an animation studio in Finland.

The Finnish-company is also preparing to bring a version of its addictive game to the popular social network, Facebook, where another company, Zynga, with its FarmVille and Mafia Wars games, dominates. Rovio already offers Angry Birds for Google+, and analysts at the research firm, Forrester, predict that once the game will hit the Facebook platform, it will make a big splash, and will become a serious competitor for Zynga’s games.

Angry Birds is so much more than just a game. Besides making the game available for almost every device out there, from iPhone to Roku, the Finland-based company, Rovio Mobile, put its brand on stuff like clothing, iPhone/iPod Touch cases, plush toys and even a cook book. So the news that Rovio is working on a movie shouldn’t come as a big surprise, this being part of the plan to turn the game company into a big entertainment franchise.

The recent acquisition of a Finnish animation studio, Kombo, and the hiring of Marvel former executive, David Maisel, as Special Advisor, are really showing the fans that Rovio is serious about making this movie… even if it is going to take them three or four year to release it. This may be due to the fact that Rovio is willing to try to make the Angry Birds Movie in-house, by itself, without asking for help from any of the Hollywood animation studios. Peter Vesterbacka, CMO at Rovio, declared that they’re not excluding partnering up with a big studio, but they prefer to do the job in-house, instead of allowing other people to control their brand.

David Maisel, whose name was behind movies like Hulk and Iron Man, is excited about working with Rovio on this project. Apparently, he’s already searching potential directors, writers and even financiers. He’s also confident that the movie will be a success, based on the facts that the game is so well-liked around the world, and the players are connected emotionally to the birds, which need help punishing the green pigs for stealing the precious eggs.

No Legal Action Taken Against Unofficial Angry Birds Park in China

It is amazing how a fairly simple game ended up bringing so much fun to its players, and revenue to its developer. A few days ago we were writing about the unauthorized Angry Birds-themed playground that opened recently in China. It seems that, even though the park managers didn’t ask for permission to use the brand, Rovio will not take any legal actions against them. Instead, they are hoping for a partnership (more of a cash-in on the whole operation) with the park, and according to a park worker, Rovio is already talking to park officials.

The Angry Birds brand is very successful in China at the moment, and it is also among the most copied brands in the country. Most companies would get irritated by this, but Rovio is playing it cool, because they know that this is helping with their brand recognition development in a country where all their products (from the actual game to a lot of merchandises) have huge potential for growth.

It can be used to pass a level only once per hour, but on levels you already unlocked, you can use it as many times as you want. Good news, the Mighty Eagle is a one-time purchase!

You might think “Hey, this is an easy way to gain points and three stars!”, but, sorry to disappoint you, using the Eagle will not yield any of those; Instead, you have a chance of achieving Total Destruction, which is 100% Eagle Highscore. Your goal will be to obtain Total Destruction on each level. Tip: The best way to get the 100% Eagle Highscore is to use the Mighty Eagle together with the other birds.

To activate the new bird within a game, after you purchased it, you simply have to tap the Eagle Eye icon found next to the “pause” button. After you decide to use it, you will see that a can of sardines (Mighty Eagle’s favorite food) appears on your slingshot. All you need to do afterwards is shoot that can of sardines towards your target; wait a little bit, and you will see the Mighty Eagle into action: he appears out of nowhere (the sky, actually) and destroys everything. After this, you will find out what percentage of destruction you obtained. Sometimes it can be tough to get the Total Destruction score, you will need to use the Angry Birds strategically, and to drop the sardines in the right spot.

I hope this article helped shed some light on the “mysterious” Mighty Eagle. The Eagle is available for iOS devices, and for Angry Birds regular edition and Seasons. Also, users with a Nook that have the game installed on it will be able to activate it for free once they enter a Barnes & Noble store. The Mighty Eagle is not available for Angry Birds Rio, or the free versions of the game.