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Angry Birds


deanb
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  • 2 weeks later...

I see it's been yanked from this week's EU PSN store update. Wonder why.

 

Chillingo publish Angry Birds on iOS. Rovio self publish Angry Birds on Android. EA bought Chillingo.

 

In these situations there is a need to decide who gets what revenue and when from the PSN release.

 

That's about all I can say on the matter.

 

EDIT - P.S. Ham 'em high is on Android too.

 

P.P.S. So is the "Valentines Edition" of seasons.

Edited by Thursday Next
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  • 3 months later...

So what exactly causes a game like Angry Birds to become a household name? I've played it a couple of times now, for only about 5 minutes or so, and I'm very perplexed. I don't fully understand what qualities games like that have which make them just super popular among the casual non-gamer crowd vs. the thousands of other great mobile games. Is the mobile game market really more of a fashion show? Does being popular and hip matter more than the content or function of your application?

 

Also, I disagree with Dyack and other developers who think that the mobile market has any sort of effect on the core gamer market. It seems much more likely that they're two mutually exclusive markets.

Edited by Yantelope
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As a gamer, I love that I have hours of (possibly) endless entertainment as new levels are updated for free.

 

Unlike most other mobile games, or at least the ones prior to Angry Birds, there wasn't much in the way of aesthetics and character. To this day, the typical mobile game is a time-waster. Something like a year ago there were actual "scientific" studies on why people kept coming back to Angry Birds. Theories from "self accomplishment" to "gambling dilemmas" and so on.

 

Basically, Angry Birds is a simple game with a lot of style and character. Maybe those are common attributes with retail console/PC games, but the mobile games market is limited in that regard. Now I'm not saying Angry Birds is the only game with style and character, but it occupies a minority along with games like Cut the Rope and Doodle Jump.

 

Now, I would also say that the mobile games market does affect the gaming industry along the lines of time and value. Like I said, I've had countless hours of entertainment with Angry Birds for only $0.99. In other threads, we here at TAY have taken issue with how modern releases stick to $59.99 (and what have you across the pond) and the rate in which those games decrease in value. Also consider services like PlayStation Network with its "Minis" and other downloadable games. Kinda the same basis, even if the consumer may vary on taste and preference.

 

Angry Birds isn't "teh besterest game eva," but it's a game that offers a lot for how seemingly less complex it is. Yeah it's physics based, but anyone can launch a bird with a slingshot. There's nothing more complicated to understand than to pulverize green pigs with furious fowl.

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Yeah, the whole $60 price point issue is a funny one because as much as developers say they're sticking to it it's really no the case. Most games, even AAA games can be had for $20 even 6 months after release and bad games even quicker than that. I'm not sure we're ever going to see more games being released at a straight up lower pricing point simply because I'm willing to bet that those few precious impulse buyers make it worth it and then dropping the price a month later yields more revenue than just releasing the game at $30 from the get go.

 

I'm not all that familiar with the quality of the mobile games market and maybe I'm just comparing it to my experience with flash games but is the quality or charm of Angry Birds really that much different from the other games on the market?

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I would have to say it's the charm of Angry Birds that makes it rise above all other mobile games. It's still a high quality mobile game, and there are other high quality mobile games too. I don't dip into the mobile games market too often, but most mobile games kinda "stop" once you've downloaded them. So, to me, that tells me that its charm makes it that more unique and why it is still popular.

 

Take Angry Birds Seasons as an example of charm. Every major holiday receives unique levels that feature seasonal items along with the green pigs dressed for the occasion (Ghost Pig, Cupid Pig, Girly Pig, etc). The music itself changes and reflects the atmosphere of the level. Rovio will sometimes throw in a few animations, like say...

 

 

And there are more, though most have been outside the games.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...

Looks like the new bubble has gotten to his head. EA bought Popcap for just over half of that. They have one game, and it has been sold (and given away for free for the most part) 50million+ times. Even if all of those were paid copies on the iPhone it's still only $50million. Even adding on top of that the merchandising it's still miles short of touching even a billion.

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It all hinges on Rovio's next game. They need to keep the Angry Birds brand association, and change their game. Put the Angry Birds in a different setting, Make a successful "Angry Birds Kart" and they can feel a bit more confident about building AB into a Mario-esque franchise. I think it has that potential. Then they can start talking about a billion.

 

NOTE: I'm not saying that Angry Birds Kart is coming soon, or indeed ever.

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Guys, I think you're forgetting Angry Birds outside of the Angry Birds game.

 

This is one game, which has had Seasons and Rio variations, that also has a lot of branded products. Board game, card game, t-shirts, plush toys, food products, and a few other miscellaneous items. You could also consider the platform expansion Angry Birds has compared to all other mobile games.

 

iOS, Maemo, HP webOS, Android, Symbian^3, PSP/PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, Windows, WebGL, Windows Phone 7, Google Plus

 

It's not just the most popular iOS game anymore. Even if it's a "fad," it's a large one that gain popularity where most other mainstream games have to work on for a few years.

Edited by Atomsk88
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Guys, I think you're forgetting Angry Birds outside of the Angry Birds game.

 

This is one game, which has had Seasons and Rio variations, that also has a lot of branded products. Board game, card game, t-shirts, plush toys, food products, and a few other miscellaneous items. You could also consider the platform expansion Angry Birds has compared to all other mobile games.

 

iOS, Maemo, HP webOS, Android, Symbian^3, PSP/PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, Windows, WebGL, Windows Phone 7, Google Plus

 

It's not just the most popular iOS game anymore. Even if it's a "fad," it's a large one that gain popularity where most other mainstream games have to work on for a few years.

 

 

I didn't forget any of that at all. And taking into account all of that it's still nowhere near worth in excess of $1.2billion.

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That's what all fads do. They explode, burn bright and hard and fade equally as quickly. You're actually providing more evidence that it's a fad.

Providing more evidence? :rolleyes:

 

Time will tell if it becomes a fad, not how much merchandise various manufactures can regurgitate. It shows its popularity, much like how you can find various forms of Nintendo/Mario clothing, accessories, and etc.

 

Do I agree about it being a billion, not necessarily. Still, we're talking brand here. If someone wanted to buy the rights to Angry Birds, right now, with everything associated with Angry Birds; the animations, the products, the events, literally everything that has Angry Birds slapped to it all over the world, it's not "stupid."

 

Egotistical maybe, but far from stupid. Stupid was when, circa 70's, millions of people bought a rock in a box for a pet, and stupid was when people blew cash on circles of paper to slam into each other.

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Stupid was when people spent $100 on a Halloween costume of a character from a glorified flash game?

Stupid is when people spent hundreds on an "authentic" Master Chief costume which was glorified crap quality.

 

People have the greatest potential in making stupid decisions for the games they enjoy, no?

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Honestly, and I'm not being bias here, but I get the feeling that Rovio is intimated to try anything new.

 

Hear me out now. If you think about it, no matter what else they create, it'll probably never live up to the status Angry Birds obtained. Not to say they'll probably make a crap game, but that even another great game will live in the shadow of Angry Birds. Seriously, Angry Birds defined the mobile app game market to the point you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't heard of the game in some form. Trying to get as much worth out of it is kinda pathetic, but also unavoidable when you've become such a phenomenal hit.

 

It's like an uroboros: the success will eventually hinder the prospect of another success. So yeah, they might end up as a one-hit wonder, but maybe not the type that could only make one good thing (song/game/etc), but that their next iteration can't rise up against previous fame.

Edited by Atomsk88
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I think you're right there and that is why they haven't released anything new. If they released a new game that didn't reach the level of Angry Birds (which as you say is almost inevitable) then that would wipe a massive chunk of the ridiculous IPO valuation they're after.

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