Jump to content

Angry Birds (video game): Difference between revisions

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Halsteadk (talk | contribs)
7,196 edits
→Other media: theme park attraction, clarified and provided improved ref (not a theme park in its own right)
No edit summary
Line 16: Line 16:
| engine = [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.galaxygameworks.com/testimonials.html |title=SDL Testimonials |publisher=Galaxygameworks.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-01}}</ref> [[Box2D]]
| engine = [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.galaxygameworks.com/testimonials.html |title=SDL Testimonials |publisher=Galaxygameworks.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-01}}</ref> [[Box2D]]
| version=2.0.2 (iOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Symbian, Android)<br />1.6.3 (BlackBerry Tablet OS)<br/>1.5.3 (Windows Phone, WebOS)<br />1.5.2 (Maemo)<br />1.5.0 (PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3)<br/>1.1.4 (WebGL)<br/>1.3.3.3<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chrome.angrybirds.com/ |title=Angry Birds Chrome |publisher=Chrome.angrybirds.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-01}}</ref> (Google Chrome)
| version=2.0.2 (iOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Symbian, Android)<br />1.6.3 (BlackBerry Tablet OS)<br/>1.5.3 (Windows Phone, WebOS)<br />1.5.2 (Maemo)<br />1.5.0 (PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3)<br/>1.1.4 (WebGL)<br/>1.3.3.3<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chrome.angrybirds.com/ |title=Angry Birds Chrome |publisher=Chrome.angrybirds.com |date= |accessdate=2012-02-01}}</ref> (Google Chrome)
| released = December 11, 2009<ref name=ign-ios />
| released = December 11, 2009<ref name=ign-ios />there awesoem
| genre = [[Puzzle video game|Puzzle]]
| genre = [[Puzzle video game|Puzzle]]
| modes = [[Single player video game|Single player]]
| modes = [[Single player video game|Single player]]

Revision as of 16:32, 4 March 2012

Angry Birds
Angry Birds app logo
Developer(s)Rovio Mobile
Publisher(s)Chillingo/Clickgamer (iOS and PSP versions)
Rovio Mobile
Producer(s)Raine Mäki, Harro Grönberg, Mikko Häkkinen
Designer(s)Jaakko Iisalo (lead designer)
Programmer(s)Tuomo Lehtinen (lead programmer), Miika Virtanen, Antti Laitinen, Atte Järvinen, Mika Rahko, Marco Rapino, Kari Kuvaja
Artist(s)Tuomas Erikoinen (lead artist), Miisa Lopperi, Joonas Mäkilä
Composer(s)Ari Pulkkinen
EngineSDL,[2] Box2D
Platform(s)iOS, Maemo, MeeGo, HP webOS, Android, Symbian^3, Series 40, PSP/PlayStation 3, Mac OS X, Windows, WebGL, Windows Phone 7, Google Plus, Google Chrome (Chrome Web Store), BlackBerry Tablet OS, Bada, Facebook
ReleaseDecember 11, 2009[1]there awesoem
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single player

Angry Birds is a strategy puzzle mobile game developed by Finnish computer game developer Rovio Mobile. Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds, the game was first developed for Apple's iOS in December 2009.[1] Since that time, over 12 million copies of the game have been purchased from Apple's App Store,[4] which has prompted the company to design versions for other touchscreen-based smartphones, such as those using the Android operating system, among others.

In the game, players use a slingshot to launch birds at pigs stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the playfield. As players advance through the game, new birds appear, some with special abilities that can be activated by the player. Rovio Mobile has supported Angry Birds with numerous free updates that add additional game content, and the company has even released stand-alone holiday and promotional versions of the game.

Angry Birds has been praised for its successful combination of addictive gameplay, comical style, and low price. Its popularity led to versions of Angry Birds being created for personal computers and gaming consoles, a market for merchandise featuring its characters and even long-term plans for a feature film or television series. With a combined 500 million downloads across all platforms and including both regular and special editions,[5] the game has been called "one of the most mainstream games out right now",[6] "one of the great runaway hits of 2010",[7] and "the largest mobile app success the world has seen so far".[8]

Gameplay

A yellow bird collapses a structure onto several pigs.

In Angry Birds, players control a flock of multi-colored birds that are attempting to retrieve eggs that have been taken by a group of hungry green pigs.[9] On each level, the pigs are sheltered by structures made of various materials such as wood, ice[10] and stone, and the objective of the game is to eliminate all the pigs on the level. Using a slingshot, players launch the birds with the intent of either hitting the pigs directly or damaging the structures, causing them to collapse and eliminate the pigs.[11] In various stages of the game, additional objects such as explosive crates and rocks are found in the structures, and may be used in conjunction with the birds to destroy hard-to-reach pigs.

There are several different types of birds used in the game. In the earliest levels, the basic red bird is the only one available.[9] As the player advances through the game, additional types of birds become available. Some birds are effective against particular materials, and some have special abilities that may be activated by the player after the bird has been launched.[11] For example, a blue bird can separate into three small birds,[9] a black bird explodes,[11] and a white bird can drop explosive eggs.[9] The pigs themselves also appear in different sizes. While small pigs are relatively weak and are easily destroyed either by direct hits or by debris from the damaged structures, larger pigs are able to sustain more damage. In addition, some pigs wear helmets as armor, making them even more resistant to damage; pigs with crowns can take the most damage.

Each level starts with the number, types, and order of birds pre-determined.[9][11] If all of the pigs are defeated by the time the last bird is used, the level is completed and the next level is unlocked.[9] Points are scored for each pig defeated as well as for damage to, or destruction of, structures, and bonus points are awarded for any unused birds. Upon completing each level, players receive one, two, or three stars, depending on the score received. Players may re-attempt unlocked levels as many times as they wish in order to complete them successfully or to earn additional points or stars.

Development

Senior game designer of Angry Birds Jaakko Iisalo at Game Design Expo 2011

In early 2009, Rovio staff began reviewing proposals for potential games. One such proposal came from senior game designer Jaakko Iisalo[12] in the form of a simulated screenshot featuring some angry-looking birds with no visible legs or wings.[13] While the picture gave no clue as to what type of game was being played, the staff liked the characters,[13] and the team elected to design a game around them.[14] As the concept of Angry Birds was developed, the staff realized the birds needed an enemy.[12] At the time, the "swine flu" epidemic was in the news, so the staff made the birds' enemies pigs.[12] The game's mechanics were inspired by other petrary physics games that have been released over the years, including another 2009 release, Crush the Castle.[15][16] The initial cost to develop Angry Birds was estimated to exceed €100,000, not including money spent on the subsequent updates.[13] For the iOS version, Rovio partnered with distributor Chillingo to publish the game to the App Store.[17] Since then Rovio has self-published almost all of the later ports of the game, with the exception of the PlayStation Portable version, which was produced under license by Abstraction Games and then distributed by Chillingo.[18]

Prior to this meeting we had set up strict criteria to determine which game we would go with, but we threw that out for the angry bird character.

–Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Mobile[14]

When Rovio began writing new versions of the game for other devices, new issues came to light. As the team began working on a version for Android systems, they observed the large number of configurations of device types and versions of the Android software.[12] The number of combinations of software version, processor speed and even user interfaces was significantly larger than that for the earlier iOS version.[19] Ultimately, the team settled on a minimum set of requirements,[12] although that left nearly 30 types of Android phones unable to run the game, including some newly released phones.[19] One month after the initial release on Android, Rovio Mobile began designing a simpler version of the game for these other devices.[19]

In early 2010, Rovio began developing a variant of Angry Birds for Facebook.[20] The project became one of the company's largest, with development taking over a year.[20] The company understood the challenges of transplanting a game concept between social platforms and mobile/gaming systems. In a March 2011 interview, Rovio's Peter Vesterbacka said, "you can’t take an experience that works in one environment and one ecosystem and force-feed it onto another. It's like Zynga. They can’t just take FarmVille and throw it on mobile and see what sticks. The titles that have been successful for them on mobile are the ones they’ve built from the ground up for the platform.”[20] The Facebook version was expected to incorporate social-gaming concepts and in-game purchases and was scheduled to enter beta-testing in April 2011;[20] the game became officially available on Facebook in February 2012.[21]

Future improvements planned for the game include the ability to synchronize the player's progress across multiple devices; for example, a player who completes a level on an iOS device could log into their copy of the game on an Android device and see the same statistics and level of progress.[22]

Release

The initial iOS version of the game included a single episode entitled "Poached Eggs", which contained three themed chapters, each with 21 levels. From time to time, Rovio has released free upgrades that include additional content, such as new levels, new in-game objects and even new birds. As updates have been released, they have been incorporated into the game's full version offered for download from each platform's application store.[23]

The first update, released in February 2010, added a new episode called "Mighty Hoax", containing two new chapters with 21 levels each. Updates released in April 2010 added the "Golden Eggs" feature, which placed hidden golden eggs throughout the game that would unlock bonus content when found, and a new episode called "Danger Above", which initially contained a single chapter of 15 levels. Two later updates added two more chapters to "Danger Above", each with 15 levels. "The Big Setup" episode, released in June 2010, added a new chapter with 15 levels and additional Golden Egg levels.[24] "The Big Setup" was later given two more chapters of 15 levels each.

A fifth episode, called "Ham 'Em High", launched in December 2010, in celebration of the game's first year in the iOS App Store.[23][25] "Ham 'Em High" contained 15 Wild West-themed levels in a single chapter;[26] updates in February 2011 and March 2011 each added one new 15-level chapter.[27][28] "Ham 'Em High" also introduced the Mighty Eagle, a new bird that may be used once per hour to clear any uncompleted levels.[26] The Mighty Eagle can also be used in previously completed levels, without the once-per-hour limit, to play a mini-game called "Total Destruction" in which the player attempts to destroy as much of the scenery as possible, both with the standard birds and the Mighty Eagle; achieving 100% destruction earns the player a Mighty Eagle feather for the level.[26]

The Mighty Eagle is offered as a one-time, in-game purchase,[23] and was initially only available for iOS, as its App Store customers have iTunes accounts with pre-linked credit cards.[29] In late 2011, Rovio also added the Mighty Eagle to the Chrome App version of the game. Rovio has begun testing an Android update called the "Bad Piggy Bank" with the Elisa wireless service in Finland and T-Mobile, which allows users to charge in-app purchases, such as the Mighty Eagle, to their mobile phone bills; the service is expected to become available to other Android users in the second quarter of 2011.[29]

The sixth episode, "Mine and Dine", was released on June 16, 2011 with 15 new mining-themed levels and a new Golden Egg.[30] An August 2011 update expanded "Mine and Dine" with two more 15-level chapters.[31]

The seventh update, "Birdday Party", was released on December 11, 2011 to commemorate the second anniversary of the first release of the iOS version into the iTunes App Store.[32] It included 15 new birthday cake-theme levels, as well as updated graphics and the addition of elements from the spin-off games, such as the scoring graphic seen in Angry Birds Rio and the introduction of the orange bird that first appeared in Angry Bird Seasons.[33] The update was later released for Android and Microsoft Windows.

Reception

Reviews of Angry Birds have been highly positive. Chris Holt of Macworld called the game "an addictive, clever, and challenging puzzler",[9] and Pocket Gamer's Keith Andrew said Angry Birds is "a nugget of puzzling purity dished out with relish aplenty".[11] Jonathan Liu of Wired News wrote that "going for the maximum number of stars certainly adds a lot of replay value to a fairly extensive game".[40]

Reviews for the first versions of the game that did not use a touch-screen, the PlayStation 3/PSP version and the Windows version, have also been positive, but with some disagreement over the different interfaces. Will Greenwald of PC Magazine, in his review of the PlayStation Network version, said that the control scheme on these platforms is good, "but they're not nearly as satisfying as the touch-screen controls found on smartphone versions", and that the PlayStation 3 version appeared "blocky and unpleasant, like a smartphone screen blown up to HDTV size".[41] Conversely, Greg Miller of IGN preferred the analog control setup of the PSP version, saying it "offered me tiny variances in control that I don't feel like I get with my fat finger on a screen".[37] While giving the game a positive review, Miller concluded, "There's no denying that Angry Birds is fun, but it could use polish – such as sharper visuals, a better price and smoother action."[37] Damien McFerrin of British website Electric Pig reviewed the PC version, saying "the mouse-driven control method showcases many distinct advantages over its finger-focused counterpart".[42]

Angry Birds became the top-selling paid application on Apple's UK App Store in February 2010, and reached the top spot on the US App Store a few weeks later,[43] where it remained until October 2010.[44] Since release, the free, limited version of Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 11 million times for Apple's iOS, and the full-featured paid version has been downloaded nearly 7 million times as of September 2010.[13] The Android version of the game was downloaded more than 1 million times within the first 24 hours of release,[45] even though the site crashed at one point due to the load,[46] and over 2 million downloads in its first weekend.[47] Rovio receives approximately US$1 million per month in revenue from the advertising that appears in the free Android version.[4]

According to Rovio, players log more than 1 million hours of game time each day on the iOS version of the game,[12] 3.33 million hours per day across all platforms[48] and 40 million monthly active users.[49] In November 2010, digitaltrends.com stated that "with 36 million downloads, Angry Birds is one of the most mainstream games out right now".[6] MSNBC's video game news blog has written that "[n]o other game app comes close" to having such a following.[50] The Christian Science Monitor has remarked, "Angry Birds has been one of the great runaway hits of 2010".[7] In December 2010, in honor of the one-year anniversary of the release of Angry Birds, Rovio Mobile announced that the game had been downloaded 50 million times, with more than 12 million on iOS devices[4] and 10 million on Android.[51] By November 2011, the game had reached 500 million downloads, including Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio.[5] On Christmas Day 2011 alone, 6.5 million copies of the various Angry Birds games were downloaded across all supported platforms.[52]

In the history of the Apple App Store, Angry Birds holds the record for most days at the top of the Paid Apps chart, having spent a total of 275 days at the No.1 position; Angry Birds Rio has been No.1 for a total of 23 days, ranking ninth on the list.[53] In Apple's "iTunes Rewind" list of the most popular iTunes Store media for 2011, Angry Birds was the top-selling paid iPhone/iPod app on the App Store and its free version was the fourth-most downloaded.[54] The game's two special-edition versions, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio, were also ranked in the top 10 for paid iPhone/iPod apps, while its iPad-exclusive Angry Birds HD versions were the top-selling and top-downloaded iPad apps for the year.[54]

Awards

In February 2010, Angry Birds was a nominee for the "Best Casual Game" award at the 6th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards in Barcelona, Spain.[55] In September 2010, IGN named Angry Birds as the fourth best iPhone game of all time.[56] In April 2011, Angry Birds won both the "Best Game App" and "App of the Year" at the UK Appy Awards.[57] At the 15th edition of the Webby Awards, Angry Birds was awarded "Best Game for Handheld Devices".[58]

Ports

Since its initial release for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch, Rovio has released versions of Angry Birds for a number of additional devices. One of the first was for Nokia's N900 handset,[43] through its Ovi Store. An iPad-exclusive version, Angry Birds HD, was released at the same time the iPad itself was released in April 2010.[59] In August 2010, Angry Birds was made available to the Palm Pre phone running Palm's webOS operating system through its App Catalog online store.[60] Symbian^3 phones received a version of the game in October 2010,[61] which initially includes only the "Poached Eggs" and "Mighty Hoax" episodes.[62]

In May 2010, Rovio announced plans for a version for devices using Google's Android operating system,[63] with a beta version being released through the Android Market in September 2010.[64] The full Android version of the game was first released instead on GetJar in October 2010,[44] though it was subsequently released on Android Market within days.[45] Rovio officials noted that GetJar had a more global reach than Android Market, and GetJar's availability on other smartphone platforms (including Symbian) would make cross-platform promotion of the game easier.[44] Unlike the previous versions, Angry Birds for Android is a free, ad-supported application, as paid applications aren't available on Android in some nations.[45] An update called "Bad Piggy Bank" enabled players to buy out the in-game ads.[51]

Near the end of 2010, Rovio stated that it was developing new ports of the game, this time for devices outside of the mobile phone market. In January 2011, three of those ports launched. First, Sony announced the release of Angry Birds for its PlayStation Portable handheld system in the form of a PlayStation mini game that includes nearly 200 levels from the original game; the version is also playable on the PlayStation 3.[37][65] Next, Rovio announced the release of a Windows version of the game[66] on January 4, 2011, available for sale exclusively from the Intel AppUp center, which included 195 levels at launch and plans for exclusive features not available on the smartphone versions.[67] One day after the Windows version was released, the Mac App Store launched, with one of the first offerings being its own version of Angry Birds.[68] Ports of Angry Birds are also proposed for the Xbox 360,[4] Wii,[4] Nintendo DS[69] and Nintendo 3DS[70] systems, as is a version for Facebook,[71] which was expected to launch in May 2011.[20]

In October 2010, Microsoft suggested on one of its websites that a Windows Phone 7 version of Angry Birds was in development. Rovio complained that Microsoft had not asked permission to make such a statement, noting that at that time it had not committed to design a Windows Phone version. Although Rovio asked Microsoft to revise its site to remove references to the game,[44][72] a Windows Phone 7 version was ultimately released in June 2011.[73]

The popularity of Angry Birds has helped spread the game to other devices that were not initially designed as gaming machines. Barnes & Noble announced that a future update for its Nook Color e-reader will let the Android-based device run applications, including a port of Angry Birds.[74] In June 2011, Rovio announced plans to partner with Roku to include a version of Angry Birds on a new model of its Internet-connected set-top box, the Roku 2 XS.[75]

In May 2011, an in-browser version of Angry Birds was released in beta form. The game uses WebGL or Canvas and is distributed through the Chrome Web Store for use with Google's Chrome web browser. It runs on any WebGL- or Canvas-enabled browser, and features exclusive content when played on Chrome, such as exclusive levels[76] and the so-called "Chrome Bombs". The version includes offline playability and features 60 FPS gameplay with a selection of graphics settings to accommodate a variety of hardware capabilities.[77]

In October 2011, during Nokia World 2011, it was announced that Angry Birds would come preloaded in Nokia's Asha series of Series 40 touch handsets, aimed at emerging markets such as India, China and South Africa.[78] In December 2011, Rovio released Angry Birds HD, Angry Birds Seasons HD and Angry Birds Rio HD on the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet from Research In Motion.[79] In January 2012, Angry Birds was released for devices using Bada OS.[80]

In February 2012, Angry Birds made its official debut on Facebook.[21] The version launched with two chapters from the original game, along with an exclusive "Surf and Turf" chapter. The Facebook version adds a number of new power-up items, with a maximum of two in use per level.[21] For example, the Super Seeds power-up will make the launched bird larger and thus more powerful, while the King Sling power-up makes the slingshot stronger and able to launch birds higher and faster.[21] Power-ups can be purchased in-game or gifted by friends who also play the game.[21]

Special editions

Main article: List of Angry Birds games

Angry Birds Seasons

Angry Birds Seasons
File:ABS-YotD.png
Logo for the Year of the Dragon update
Developer(s)Rovio Mobile
Publisher(s)Rovio Mobile
Platform(s)iOS, Android, Symbian^3, webOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, BlackBerry Tablet OS
ReleaseOctober 21, 2010[81]

In October 2010, Rovio released a special Halloween edition of game.[81] Angry Birds Halloween, exclusive to iOS at the time and a separate application from the main game, included new levels with Halloween-themed music and graphics.[81] In December 2010, Rovio released Angry Birds Seasons to iOS, Android and Symbian^3 devices.[82][83] Seasons introduced 25 Christmas-themed levels, one for each day leading to the holiday, similar to an Advent calendar.[82][83] All versions include the previously-exclusive Halloween levels and are offered as separate, stand-alone paid applications, with the exception of the free, ad-supported Android version;[84] Angry Birds Halloween users on iOS received the Seasons levels as a free upgrade.[82] The Halloween version was given the episode title "Trick or Treat", while the Christmas episode was entitled "Season's Greedings". In February 2011, Rovio released a new Valentine's Day update to Angry Birds Seasons, entitled "Hogs and Kisses", complete with new themed levels and graphics, as well as the option to send Angry Birds-themed Valentine's Day messages through Facebook.[85] In March 2011, Rovio released a new St. Patrick's Day update, entitled "Go Green, Get Lucky",[86] followed by an Easter update, entitled "Easter Eggs", in April 2011[87] and a summer update, "Summer Pignic", in June 2011.[88] In September 2011, "Mooncake Festival" was released in conjunction with the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.[89] On October 20th, 2011, "Ham'O'Ween" was released and introduced a new orange bird, known as the globe bird.[90] In December 2011, "Wreck the Halls" was released with 25 Christmas-theme levels also arranged in an Advent calendar setting. "Year of the Dragon," a Chinese New Year-themed update, was released on January 20, 2012 (around midnight China Standard Time or January 19, 4:00 p.m. GMT).[91] The update includes an episode-exclusive Mighty Dragon. Its function is the same as the Mighty Eagle, but it can be used even by iOS users who have not purchased the Mighty Eagle, as well as Android and Symbian^3 users, whose versions do not carry the Mighty Eagle. A japanese Cherry Blossom season was announced on February 28, 2012 with a release date on March 7, 2012. [92]

Angry Birds Rio

Main article: Angry Birds Rio

Rovio launched Angry Birds Rio in March 2011.[93] In this version, based on the 20th Century Fox animated film Rio, the Angry Birds characters appear in Rio de Janeiro and interact with characters from the film.[93] Angry Birds Rio initially included two chapters including a warehouse chapter entitled "Smuggler's Den" and a jungle chapter entitled "Jungle Escape", but it has been updated with additional chapters and levels including a beach chapter entitled "Beach Volley", a carnival chapter entitled "Carnival Upheaval", an airfield chapter entitled "Airfield Chase", and one more chapter as "Smuggler's Plane." Since release, Angry Birds Rio has been downloaded more than 10 million times.[94]

Angry Birds Magic

A special version of the game, called Angry Birds Magic, will be developed exclusively for Nokia's NFC-enabled Symbian devices. This version of the game will include functionality that will unlock game levels upon contact with another NFC-enabled phone running the game. A free version of Angry Birds Magic came preinstalled with all NFC Symbian devices to be sold in 2011, starting with the Nokia C7. [95]

Angry Birds Space

In February 2012, Rovio announced a new game in the Angry Birds franchise to be called Angry Birds Space.[96] Expected to launch March 22, 2012,[97] the game is said to feature elements from the original games as well as new gameplay mechanics.[97] It was announced on space.angrybirds.com/teaser2 at the bottom of the page that Angry Birds Space will at least be on iOS, Android, PC, and Mac.[96]

Other media

The Angry Birds characters have been referenced in television programs throughout the world. The Israeli comedy show Eretz Nehederet (in English: a Wonderful Country), one of the nation's most popular TV programs, satirized recent failed Israeli-Palestinian peace attempts by featuring the Angry Birds in peace negotiations with the pigs. Clips of the segment went viral, getting viewers from all around the world. The sketch received favorable coverage from a variety of independent blogs such as digitaltrends.com,[6] hotair.com[98] and intomobile.com,[99] as well as from online news media agencies such as Haaretz,[100] The Christian Science Monitor,[7] The Guardian,[101] and MSNBC.[50] American television hosts Conan O' Brien, Jon Stewart and Daniel Tosh have referenced the game in comedy sketches on their respective series, Conan, The Daily Show, and Tosh.0.[102][103][104] In the 30 Rock episode "Plan B", guest star Aaron Sorkin laments to Liz Lemon, "Our craft is dying while people are playing Angry Birds and poking each other on Facebook". He then provides a tip for Liz to improve her score in the game. In February 2011, American journalist Jake Tapper mockingly introduced U.S. Senator Chris Coons as the "Angry Birds champion of the Senate" during the National Press Club's annual dinner.[105] Some of the game's more notable fans include Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom, who plays the iPad version of the game, and author Salman Rushdie, who claims he is "something of a master at Angry Birds".[106] Basketball star Kevin Durant is an avid fan of Angry Birds, and regularly plays other NBA stars in matches, although he is weary of cheating. [107]

A screenshot from the T-Mobile advertisment

Angry Birds and its characters have been featured in advertisements for other products. In March 2011, the characters began appearing in a series of advertisements for Microsoft's Bing search engine.[108] At the 2011 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, Nokia used scrims on a downtown building to project an advertisement for its new N8 handset that included the game's characters.[109] A June 2011 T-Mobile advertisement filmed in Barcelona, Spain included a real-life mock-up of the game in a city plaza,[110] while Nokia used the game in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to promote an attempt to set a world record for the largest number of people playing a single mobile game.[111] Finnair has also used Angry Birds in their advertising, including taping an Airbus A340 airliner with the Angry Birds figures and holding an Angry Birds tournament on board a flight to Singapore. [112]

In September 2011, the Window of the World theme park in Changsha, China opened an unlicensed Angry Birds attraction.[113] Visitors to the park use a large slingshot to launch stuffed versions of the bird characters at green balloons representing the pigs.[113] Upon learning of the attraction, Rovio Mobile was reported to be considering working with the theme park to officially license it.[114]

The game's popularity has spawned knock-off and parody games that utilize the same basic mechanics as Angry Birds. For example, Angry Turds features monkeys hurling feces and other objects at hunters who have stolen their babies.[115] Another game, entitled Chicks'n'Vixens and released in beta form on Windows Phone 7 devices, replaces the birds and pigs with chickens and foxes, respectively.[116] The developer of Chicks'n'Vixens intended the game as a challenge to Rovio Mobile, which stated at the time that a Windows Phone port of Angry Birds would not be ready until later in 2011.[116]

Angry Birds has inspired works of religious analogy. A five-part essay entitled "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life" was written by Giridhari Dasa of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (i.e. Hare Krishna) of Brazil, utilizing the characters and gameplay mechanics to explain various concepts of yoga in Gaudiya Vaishnavism as understood and interpreted by the Hare Krishna.[117][118][119][120][121] The piece attracted much media attention, in Brazil and abroad, for its unique method of philosophico-religious presentation.[122][123][124][125] The piece was also recognized and appreciated by Rovio Mobile's Peter Vesterbacka, who was prompted to comment on Twitter, "Very cool! I can see Angry Birds Yoga becoming a worldwide craze;-)".[117]

Rovio is investigating ways to expand the Angry Birds brand, including merchandise, television shows and movies.[126] The game's official website offers plush versions of the birds and pigs for sale, along with T-shirts featuring the game's logo and characters.[127] In May 2011, Mattel released an Angry Birds board game, entitled "Angry Birds: Knock on Wood".[128] Over 10 million Angry Birds toys have been sold thus far.[129] Rovio opened the first official Angry Birds retail store in Helsinki on November 11, 2011 at 11:11am local time.[114] It expects to open its next retail store somewhere in China, considered the game's fastest-growing market.[114]

Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Mobile, has envisioned a feature film in the stop-motion animation style of Aardman Animation.[126] To that end, Rovio has purchased a Helsinki-based animation studio to prepare Angry Birds short cartoons on Nickelodeon,[129] the first of which was a Christmas special named "Wreck the Halls" that debuted on Nickelodeon in December 2011.[130] Rovio also hired David Maisel, former executive producer of Marvel Studios films such as Iron Man and Thor, to head up production of feature-length films.[129] Hed acknowledges that such a film would be years away, and that Rovio must keep the characters relevant until then, by producing sequels or new ports of the original game.[126] Rovio officials have hinted that one such "sequel" will be told from the pigs' point of view.[131]

In March 2012, Rovio announced plans for an Angry Birds attraction due to open in summer 2012 at the Särkänniemi adventure park in Finland.[132]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Angry Birds Review". IGN.com. February 11, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  2. ^ "SDL Testimonials". Galaxygameworks.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  3. ^ "Angry Birds Chrome". Chrome.angrybirds.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The Supremely Addicting Angry Birds Hits 42 Million Free and Paid Downloads". SymbianFreak.com. October 22, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Tarmo Virki (November 2, 2011). "Angry Birds tops 500 million downloads". Yahoo.com. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c Van Camp, Jeffrey (November 23, 2010). "Israeli Angry Birds satire goes viral". digitaltrends.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Shaer, Matthew (November 29, 2010). "Angry Birds bound for Xbox, PlayStation". Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  8. ^ "Angry Birds will be bigger than Mickey Mouse and Mario. Is there a success formula for apps?". MIT Entrepreneurship review. February 18, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Chris Holt. "Angry Birds Review". Macworld. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  10. ^ Rovio Mobile. Angry Birds (2.0.2 ed.). Scene: Achievements screen. Icepicker: 5000 ice blocks smashed
  11. ^ a b c d e f Keith Andrew (December 21, 2009). "Angry Birds (iPhone) review". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Jon Mundy (October 13, 2010). "Interview: Rovio on the origin of Angry Birds, being inspired by swine flu, and why you may never see an Angry Birds 2". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c d MobileWebGo (September 8, 2010). "How Did Angry Birds Become a BlockBuster? Rovio video interview and transcript". MobileWebGo. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  14. ^ a b Ryan Rigney (October 2, 2010). "The Origins of Angry Birds". PCWorld.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  15. ^ Alan Henry (March 3, 2011). "Is 'Angry Farm' for BlackBerry a Rovio Ripoff?". PC Magazine. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  16. ^ Rob Hearn (February 24, 2011). "iPhone hit Tiny Wings is probably based on indie game Wavespark". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  17. ^ "Angry Birds IP". TechCrunch. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  18. ^ "Abstraction Games News". AbstractionGames.com. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  19. ^ a b c Daniel Ionescu (November 19, 2010). "Angry Birds Devs Angry At Android Fragmentation". PCWorld.com. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  20. ^ a b c d e Kim-Mai Cutler (March 13, 2011). "Rovio Has Been Working On The Facebook Version of Angry Birds For A Year". InsideMobileApps.com. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  21. ^ a b c d e Natt Garun (February 13, 2012). "Angry Birds lands on Facebook a day early". digitaltrends.com. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
  22. ^ "Angry Birds to Sync Your Progress Across All Platforms Soon; New Easter Update Screenshots". Phandroid.com. April 13, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  23. ^ a b c "iOS Angry Birds Mighty Eagle On Its Way: Video". phonesreview.co.uk. November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  24. ^ Joe White (June 22, 2010). "Angry Birds Receives Major Update". AppAdvice.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  25. ^ Rob Hearn (December 23, 2010). "Angry Birds iPhone Ham 'Em High update introduces the 59p Mighty Eagle". PhonesReview.co.uk. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  26. ^ a b c Shawn Wagnon (November 25, 2010). "Angry Birds Ham 'Em High with 15 new levels & the Mighty Eagle coming out to give you a new bird flinging high: Rovio gives you level busting can of sardines!". Device. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  27. ^ Doug Smith (February 4, 2011). "Angry Birds updated for iOS version 1.5.1". MobilityDigest.com. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  28. ^ Samuel Gibbs (March 18, 2011). "Angry Birds iOS update ends their Frontier Badlands adventure with 15 new levels, a Golden Egg and ads". Switched.com. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
  29. ^ a b Brian X Chen (February 8, 2011). "Android in-app payments begin with Angry Birds". Wired UK. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  30. ^ "Angry birds version 1.6.0 gets you 15 new levels".
  31. ^ "iTunes Preview: Angry Birds". itunes.apple.com. August 25, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  32. ^ Owen Good (December 11, 2011). "Angry Birds Second Birthday Invites a New Bird to the Party". Kotaku.com. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  33. ^ "Happy Birdday! - Rovio Entertainment Ltd". Rovio.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  34. ^ "Angry Birds (iOS)". Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  35. ^ a b "Angry Birds (PSP)". Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  36. ^ James Pikover (May 12, 2010). "Angry Birds review". GameZone.com. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  37. ^ a b c d Greg Miller (January 10, 2011). "Angry Birds Review". PCMag.com. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  38. ^ John Mundy (October 13, 2010). "Angry Birds: Winging endorsement". PocketGamer.co.uk. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  39. ^ PlayStation Official Magazine (Spring 2011): 113. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  40. ^ Liu, Jonathan (March 5, 2010). "iPhone Review: Angry Birds Make Great Projectiles". Wired. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  41. ^ Will Greenwald (January 12, 2011). "Angry Birds (for PlayStation 3, PSP)". PCMag.com. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  42. ^ Damien McFerrin (January 19, 2011). "Angry Birds PC review". ElectricPig.co.uk. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  43. ^ a b Gustav Sandstrom (May 12, 2010). "Angry Birds Smartphone App Takes Off For Rovio". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  44. ^ a b c d Leslie Horn (October 15, 2010). "Angry Birds for Android Launches as Free GetJar App". PC Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  45. ^ a b c Quentyn Kennemer (October 15, 2010). "Angry Birds is Free & It's Out". phandroid.com. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  46. ^ Keith Dsouza (October 15, 2010). "GetJar Taken Down By Angry Birds". Techie Buzz. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
  47. ^ Patrick Goss. "Angry Birds Android passes 2m mark". techradar.com. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  48. ^ Leigh Alexander (March 14, 2011). "Angry Birds sees 100 Million Downloads". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  49. ^ Conrad Egusa (March 10, 2011). "Skype founder, others catapult $42M to Angry Birds". venturebeat.com. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  50. ^ a b Popkin, Helen A.S. (November 22, 2010). "'Angry Birds' fail to negotiate peace treaty". MSNBC. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  51. ^ a b Mike Butcher (December 10, 2010). "Angry Birds hits 50 million downloads, creates simple in-app purchases on Android". TechCenter Europe. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  52. ^ Eddie Makuch (January 4, 2012). "Angry Birds downloaded 6.5M times on Christmas Day". GameSpot.com. CNet. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  53. ^ Mike Wehner (May 24, 2011). "Apple approves its 500,000th app, but do you care?". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 24, 2011.
  54. ^ a b "iTunes top ten downloads of 2011". KSAT.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  55. ^ "The 6th Annual IMGA Winners". IMGAwards.com. February 16, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  56. ^ "The Top 25 iPhone Games". September 10, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  57. ^ Whitworth, Dan (April 12, 2011). "Angry Birds triumphs at Appy Awards". BBC Newsbeat. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  58. ^ "Webby Nominees". Webbyawards.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  59. ^ "Angry Birds HD for iPad". iTunes.apple.com. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  60. ^ Dew Alam (August 25, 2010). "iPhone Game Angry Birds now on Palm webOS". Top10.com. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
  61. ^ "Nokia Symbian^3 Angry Birds Available in Ovi Store". Phones Review. October 22, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  62. ^ Padmini Harchandrai (October 22, 2010). "Angry Birds Arrives for Symbian^3". tech2.0. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  63. ^ Mark Brown (May 18, 2010). "Angry Birds coming to Android this summer". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  64. ^ Phil Nickinson (September 3, 2010). "Angry Birds for Android is here!!!". Android Central.
  65. ^ Rey Gutierrez (January 3, 2011). "The Drop: Week of January 3rd 2011 New Releases". PlayStation.com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  66. ^ Saket Narayan (January 27, 2011). "How to Download Angry Birds PC Game from Intel Appup Store". TechSplurge. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  67. ^ Chloe Albanesius (January 5, 2011). Intel's AppUp center will only run on Windows XP or Windows 7, the platforms of Intel NetBooks, thereby excluding Vista users from the group of potential Windows players. /0,2817,2375200,00.asp "Rovio Releases Angry Birds for PCs, Netbooks". PC Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  68. ^ Jason D. O'Grady (January 6, 2011). "Mac OS 10.6.6 brings Mac App Store, Angry Birds to OS X (updated)". ZDNet.com. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  69. ^ Daemon Hatfield (August 2, 2010). "Angry Birds Migrating to PSP, Nintendo Platforms". IGN.com. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  70. ^ "Angry Birds confirmed for Nintendo 3DS". 3DS Focus. February 5, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  71. ^ "Angry Birds Game Coming to Facebook". Mashable. March 7, 2011.
  72. ^ "Angry Birds is Coming to Windows Phone 7". Esphoneblog.com. October 10, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  73. ^ Erica Ogg (May 18, 2011). "Angry Birds for Windows Phone 7 delayed". CNet.com. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  74. ^ Chloe Albanesius (March 25, 2011). "Barnes & Noble Nook Update Will Bring Email, Apps Like 'Angry Birds'". PCMag.com. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  75. ^ Michael Liedtke (June 1, 2011). "'Angry Birds' game migrating to TV on Roku player". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  76. ^ Darren Murph (May 11, 2011). "Live from Google I/O 2011's day 2 keynote!". Engadget.com. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  77. ^ Vlad Savov (May 11, 2011). "Angry Birds gets a web version, coming to Chrome Web Store". Engadget.com. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  78. ^ "Nokia Asha brings Angry Birds to the developing world, Mighty Eagle soars". October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  79. ^ "Angry Birds for BlackBerry PlayBook Now Available!". December 21, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
  80. ^ "Angry Birds making its way to bada OS for free – only for Wave III for now". GSMArena.com. January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  81. ^ a b c Richard Mitchell (October 21, 2010). "Angry Birds Halloween edition spooks iPad, iPhone". Joystiq.com. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
  82. ^ a b c Jeff Cormier (December 1, 2010). "Angry Birds Seasons goes live and free for iOS and Android". The Next Web. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  83. ^ a b Ewan Spence (December 17, 2010). "Review: Angry Birds Seasons". AllAboutSymbian.com. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  84. ^ Vlad Bobleanta (December 1, 2010). "Angry Birds Seasons out for Android and iOS today, free to Halloween users". switched.com. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
  85. ^ Christina Warren (February 7, 2011). "Angry Birds Gets Facebook-Infused Valentine's Day Edition". Mashable.com. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  86. ^ "Angry Birds Seasons Go Green, Get Lucky Update is Here!". March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  87. ^ Chloe Albanesius (April 18, 2011). "Angry Birds Seasons Gets Easter Update". PCMag.com. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  88. ^ Rob Hearn (June 22, 2011). "Angry Birds Seasons Summer Pignic update hits the App Store, adds 30 levels". PocketGamer.co.uk. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  89. ^ Angry Birds Seasons Moon Festival Episode Released, IGN, 1 September 2011. Accessed on 2 September 2011.
  90. ^ Official Promo for Ham'O'Ween. Accessed on 21 October 2011.
  91. ^ Rovio Mobile's official YouTube channel (December 30, 2012). "Happy New Year 2012 from the Angry Birds!". youtube.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  92. ^ "Year of the Dragon update for Angry Birds Seasons! - Rovio Entertainment Ltd". Rovio.com. January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  93. ^ a b Paul Suarez (January 29, 2011). "'Angry Birds Rio' Release Teams With Hollywood". PCWorld.com. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  94. ^ Chloe Albanesius (April 4, 2011). "Angry Birds Rio Downloaded 10M Times". PCMag.com. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  95. ^ "NFC Enabled Angry Birds Magic Game To Be Exclusively Available For Nokia C7". Symbian-Freak.com. April 19, 2011. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  96. ^ a b Eddie Makuch (February 17, 2012). "Angry Birds Space unveiled". GameSpot.com. CNet. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  97. ^ a b Jeff Bertolucci (February 17, 2012). "Angry Birds in Space: The Final Merchandising Frontier?". PCWorld.com. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  98. ^ "Breakthrough: Peace talks begin to settle bitter longstanding conflict". hotair.com. November 25, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  99. ^ "The Angry Birds Peace Treaty didn't turn out so well". intomobile.com. November 23, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  100. ^ "Israeli satire show goes viral with Angry Bird take on peace talks". Haaretz. November 22, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  101. ^ Stewart, Keith (November 23, 2010). "Angry Birds Treaty brings casual gaming into the world of satire". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  102. ^ Conan O'Brien (host) (December 15, 2010). Conan's Message to Finland (Television production). TBS. Event occurs at 1:38. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  103. ^ Jon Stewart (host) (February 16, 2011). Intro – Watson Competes on Jeopardy (Television production).
  104. ^ Daniel Tosh (January 11, 2011). Tosh.0: Angry Birds (Television production).
  105. ^ Mirkinson, Jack (February 10, 2011). "Chris Coons Mocks Jake Tapper". Huffington Post. USA. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  106. ^ Nick Wingfield (November 30, 2010). "Why We Can't Stop Playing". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  107. ^ "Kevin Durant Frustrated by Cheaters".
  108. ^ Angry Birds Bing Video – Episode 1. Rovio Mobile. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  109. ^ Angry Birds On A 15 Storey Building At SXSW. March 12, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  110. ^ T-Mobile Angry Birds Live. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
  111. ^ Lim Yung Hui (June 11, 2011). "Guinness World Record at Nokia World's Biggest Angry Birds Playground in Kuala Lumpur". greyreview.com. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  112. ^ Matt Molnar (September 21, 2011). "Angry Birds Take Over Finnair Flight to Singapore - NYCAviation". Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  113. ^ a b Charles Cooper (September 16, 2011). "China steals "Angry Birds" for theme park". CBS News. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  114. ^ a b c "Angry Birds Opens First Store". Yahoo.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  115. ^ Marc Flores (January 31, 2011). "Bored with Angry Birds? Try Angry Turds". IntoMobile.com. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  116. ^ a b Chris Davies (February 2, 2011). "Chicks'n'Vixens brings Angry Birds clone to WP7 as Rovio protest". Slashgear.com. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  117. ^ a b "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life, Part I". Giridhari Dasa. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  118. ^ "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life, Part II". Giridhari Dasa. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  119. ^ "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life, Part III". Giridhari Dasa. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  120. ^ "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life, Part IV". Giridhari Dasa. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  121. ^ "Angry Birds™ Yoga – How to Eliminate the Green Pigs in Your Life, Final Part". Giridhari Dasa. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  122. ^ Kendall, Paul (February 7, 2011). "Angry Birds: the story behind iPhone's gaming phenomenon". London: telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  123. ^ Name (required) (June 15, 2011). "Angry Birds Yoga Making a Splash in Brazil | Giridhari's Blog". Pandavas.wordpress.com. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  124. ^ "topics". Dzai.com.br. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  125. ^ Smullen, Madhava (June 25, 2011). "Is ISKCON Devotee's "Angry Birds Yoga" Set To Go Viral?". news.iskcon.com. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
  126. ^ a b c Marc Graser (August 24, 2010). "Angry Birds flies with Hollywood". Variety. Retrieved November 29, 2010.
  127. ^ "Angry Birds Shop". Rovio.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  128. ^ Brian Stetler (January 7, 2011). "Angry Birds at C.E.S." New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  129. ^ a b c "Angry Birds Aim For World Domination". FoxNews.com. October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  130. ^ Eric Goldman (December 16, 2011). "Angry Birds Short Film Airing on Nickelodeon". IGN.com. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  131. ^ Bosker, Bianca (November 17, 2010). "Angry Birds sequel will reveal pigs' point of view". Huffington Post. USA. Retrieved January 6, 2011.
  132. ^ http://www.t3.com/news/angry-birds-land-to-hit-theme-park-in-finland
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=Angry_Birds_(video_game)&oldid=480170346"