Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment said sales jumped tenfold to $100 million last year as gamers flocked to download its titles, adding business was now strong enough for a stock market listing. The Finnish startup making Angry Birds games — in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal the birds’ eggs — has been valued by analysts at up to $9 billion, just short of that of struggling world No.2 phonemaker Nokia. Rovio said on Monday its finances were good enough for a listing after revealing a highly profitable 2011 in its first public disclosure of business results and forecast a bumper year ahead. Rovio, originally founded in 2003, became a global phenomenon after it launched Angry Birds for Apple’s iPhone in late 2009. READ MORE: Angry Birds maker eyes IPO golden egg
Pop-upView Separately

Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment said sales jumped tenfold to $100 million last year as gamers flocked to download its titles, adding business was now strong enough for a stock market listing.

The Finnish startup making Angry Birds games — in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal the birds’ eggs — has been valued by analysts at up to $9 billion, just short of that of struggling world No.2 phonemaker Nokia.

Rovio said on Monday its finances were good enough for a listing after revealing a highly profitable 2011 in its first public disclosure of business results and forecast a bumper year ahead.

Rovio, originally founded in 2003, became a global phenomenon after it launched Angry Birds for Apple’s iPhone in late 2009.

READ MORE: Angry Birds maker eyes IPO golden egg

Kudos to our friends at the New York Times for building this highly-entertaining and addictive game. Try it out by blowing up some of their articles here.
Pop-upView Separately

Kudos to our friends at the New York Times for building this highly-entertaining and addictive game. Try it out by blowing up some of their articles here.

The maker of the hit mobile game Angry Birds has struck a deal with Wal-Mart to embed clues to a new version of the game in merchandise sold in Wal-Mart stores, hoping to drive Angry Birds fans into the stores, and shoppers to the game. The world’s biggest retailer will stock limited-edition T-shirts, soft toys and snacks containing clues that unlock bonus levels of Angry Birds Space, which will be available in app stores from Thursday. Rovio, the Finnish start-up behind the world’s most downloaded mobile game, has ambitions to become a global entertainment brand. Its marketing chief told Reuters on Tuesday it was teaming up with a major U.S. retailer. Read more: Wal-Mart to offer Angry Birds merch, clues
Pop-upView Separately

The maker of the hit mobile game Angry Birds has struck a deal with Wal-Mart to embed clues to a new version of the game in merchandise sold in Wal-Mart stores, hoping to drive Angry Birds fans into the stores, and shoppers to the game.

The world’s biggest retailer will stock limited-edition T-shirts, soft toys and snacks containing clues that unlock bonus levels of Angry Birds Space, which will be available in app stores from Thursday.

Rovio, the Finnish start-up behind the world’s most downloaded mobile game, has ambitions to become a global entertainment brand. Its marketing chief told Reuters on Tuesday it was teaming up with a major U.S. retailer.

Read more: Wal-Mart to offer Angry Birds merch, clues

producermatthew: Following Path and Twitter, some other big names in mobile applications are coming under fire for scanning and possibly storing address book information from a user’s phone. Those names, as The Daily reports, includes Facebook, Instagram and Angry Birds. [The Daily]
Pop-upView Separately

producermatthew:

Following Path and Twitter, some other big names in mobile applications are coming under fire for scanning and possibly storing address book information from a user’s phone. Those names, as The Daily reports, includes Facebook, Instagram and Angry Birds. [The Daily]