Back in 2008, Rovio was nothing more than a fringe games studio. Having failed to find any real footing in the gaming market, in 2009 they launched Angry Birds and everything changed.
Since then we have seen various sequels, tie-ins, merchandise, cartoons, and even a full-blown movie. It seems, however, that party might be over for the Angry Birds as Rovio has announced that it will shut their London office amid concerns over a major drop in profits.
The move is somewhat surprising, particularly given that the office only opened in 2017. Beyond this, however, there might be greater financial concerns for Rovio as a whole.
In 2015, Rovio almost halved its staff as the company turned a loss for the financial year. As early as a couple weeks ago, Rovio issued a warning that profits for the coming quarter were likely to be quite poor and as such, one of the economizations is the closure of the London office.
There is one thing having a major hit on your hands, but it is also the ability to follow up or build from it, rather than rely on it. Rovio has failed to do anything of any note beyond the Angry Birds franchise and put simply, I think it had it’s 15 minutes of fame and everyone has now moved on to other fads and trends.
What certainly doesn’t bode well is that a sequel to the film is, in a report via the BBC, due for release in 2019.
Scott Cawthon, the creator of the FNAF series, recently announced that the games, in their current format, would no longer be made. Now, Scott has said that before, but I think, this time, he means it. He understands that FNAF in its current form has gone as far as it can. I think this is something that Rovio has failed to do. It expanded its brand without diversifying its base.
It is either time to do something new or put this Angry Bird out of its misery.
What do you think? A fan of Angry Birds? Surprised at the news? What do you think about the film sequel? – Let us know in the comments!
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