NOV. 2, 2011 • Since it release in 2009, Rovio Mobile’s Angry Birds has registered more than 500 million downloads on various platforms. Rovio also says 300 million minutes a day are played in the game globally. That popularity has enabled the developer to ship more than 10 million Angry Birds toys across the world, and even publish a cookbook.
Impact: Angry Birds is clearly a huge multi-platform, transmedia hit. While it got started on the iOS that is not where it has generated the bulk of its revenue. The toys generate more revenue than the iOS game. ome versions for other platforms are free and rely on advertising. Other versions are more expensive than the $0.99 charged at the App Store ($1.99 for Angry Birds HD). In short, the lesson from Angry Bird’s success is how to think multi-platform, multi-distribution channel. Rovio was successful because they used the App Store to create buzz and some initial revenue that allowed them to take Angry Birds universal. In other words, the APP Store became a means to a much larger end.
