Rovio

Rovio Entertainment is a Finnish mobile-game developer, publisher and transmedia entertainment company best known for the Angry Birds franchise. Founded in 2003 by Helsinki University of Technology students Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen and Kim Dikert, the business began as Relude Oy after the team won the Assembly mobile-game development competition with King of the Cabbage World.

The company developed more than 50 mobile games on a work-for-hire and contractual basis before releasing Angry Birds in December 2009. The physics-puzzle game became a global hit and established the foundation for a broader entertainment business spanning games, animation, feature films, consumer products and location-based partnerships.

Games and live operations

Rovio develops and publishes free-to-play casual and midcore mobile games, with ongoing live operations, events, content updates, user acquisition and monetization forming important parts of its model. Its capabilities include mobile puzzle design, level architecture, character-IP development, algorithmic balancing and machine-learning analytics through its Beacon platform.

Notable work includes Angry Birds, Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, Angry Birds Dream Blast, Bad Piggies, Battle Bay, Small Town Murders and Angry Birds Journey. The company has also expanded the franchise into screen entertainment with The Angry Birds Movie and The Angry Birds Movie 2.

Ownership and current focus

Rovio became part of the Sega group after Sega Europe Limited completed its acquisition in August 2023. Following the subsequent minority squeeze-out and Nasdaq Helsinki delisting in January 2024, Rovio continued as a private company within Sega Sammy Holdings' Sega Europe division. It remains active with a focus on mobile-game development, live operations, franchise stewardship and global licensing.