Angry Birds creator hawking movie rights

By Ellie Gibson Published 25 August, 2010

Toys, comics and TV shows planned too.

The company behind Angry Birds hopes to sell the rights to produce TV shows, movies, toys and comics based on the hit iPhone game.

That's according to Variety, which puts sales at AB of more than 6.5 million. And that's just the paid-for iPhone version - the free trial has been downloaded 11 million times, while sales of the iPad game stand at 200,000.

But rather than build on this success by producing new games, developer Rovio is looking to expand the franchise via other media.

"It doesn't make sense [to produce a slate of different games] when you have a hit of any caliber," said bossman Mikael Hed. "When you create brand equity, to do that again would be a difficult task rather than nurture and build around what you have."

So Rovio has been visiting studios and investors in recent weeks. The idea is to produce Angry Birds cartoons which will be viewed in cinemas and on TV screens. Hed is reckoning on a claymation look to the cartoons, as made famous by Aardman Animation.

Of course, that sort of thing takes a while to produce. "The challenge is to make sure the brand is relevant when the movie comes out," said Hed.

So in the meantime, Rovio is working on sequels and other versions of Angry Birds. There are also plans to bring the game to DS, PSP and PS3, as previously announced.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (34) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Goodfella #1 2 years ago

    Yeah it's a fun game.

    I wish I could create stuff like this, by my calculations he's made around £2.7 million after Apple's cut.

    /jealous.

  • Lankysi #2 2 years ago

    Screw movie/tv/toy ideas, where's the Android release??? (runs off to check in case its been released while writing this!!)

  • Freek #3 2 years ago

    Just because it's a hit Iphone game, doesn't mean it's suddenly a "brand" that you can turn into movies and tv shows.

  • tomdominer #4 2 years ago

    ^ Exactly. The guy is kidding himself

  • Hartzu #5 2 years ago

    It's available for other phones as well, at least for Nokia N900.

  • riceNpea #6 2 years ago

    i would rather dangle my balls in front of a starved tiger then own an Iphone.

  • chukcyQ #7 2 years ago

    The birds don't even have names. Where's the brand?

  • andywilkie35 #8 2 years ago

    I don't get it, there were loads of games identical to this for years on the internet, why is this being hailed as being "TEH BEST FING EVA!!!11!", its the same as the rest.

  • madgerald Verified Studio Head of PR & Marketing, Colossal Games LTD #9 2 years ago

    I can see the logic behind hawking the movie rights.. It does have 'from the creators of X smash hit animated movie comes a tale of birds, birds that are angry, very, very angry' written all over it.

    Storyline is this... "A family of happy birds live out their lives on a lovely farm until the P.I.G. corporation comes in and threatens their eggs" cue 87 minutes of birds getting angry, creating catapults and other such contraptions with which to drive out the P.I.G corp and save their eggs".. Credits roll, outtakes play.

    Oh and it'll be in 3D.

  • mingster #10 2 years ago

    Birds v Steven Hawking game.. sounds good.
    /only read heading.

  • superdelphinus #11 2 years ago

    how the feck do you do that level with the boomerang birds and the house and the balloons? it's about lvl 13 or 14 on the second load of them

  • Stickman #12 2 years ago

    How about you make some more levels before you start on the movie, eh?

    Just a thought.

  • Chazmeister #13 2 years ago

    I've not played the game but looking at the website for it doesn't ring any bells for me. The artwork and characters aren't particularly special or cute looking, so what makes him think this will make a great TV show, where's the appeal?

    The actual game looks fun, but that's got nothing to do with the characters.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #14 2 years ago

    There are solutions on YouTube. Unfortunately, they tend to be in batches of ten levels or so, so you need to skip back and forward until you recognise the level you're after.

    Catapult games are nothing new, but Angry Birds is a combination of polished execution, suitability to the format, presentation and humour that's just enough to add character but not overwhelm gameplay. Plus their frequent free updates with extra levels, and new gameplay elements is a great draw.

    I played the demo and originally wasn't fussed with Angry Birds. Then I bought it anyway since it was only 59p, and eventually its charms have became apparent.

  • kinky_mong #15 2 years ago

    Don't make the huge mistake Gob Bluth did and give away the animation rights!

  • Tonasaurus #16 2 years ago

    Just discovered this on the Mrs's iphone. To be fair it has sucked me in, it looks nice and suits the iphone really well. It defo has that "just one more go" quality which is always a winner.

  • gamingdave #17 2 years ago

    For 59p its worth it, but IMO its overrated. Some of the level design, especially on the later levels seems to be more about making an attractive structure than a good level where skill and planning is required to ace it. Some of them are also frustrating to the extreme with a perfect shot required to nail it. Not always possible due to the slightly random nature of the controls. The physics may be consistant but for a game that at times requires pixel prefect control, its just not possible.

    I have had fun playing it, and have been through it twice after the iOS4 update corrupted my save. Its definately a good passtime on the tube, but its not the new mesia.

  • paulf #18 2 years ago

    @andywilkie35

    the majority of succesful iphone apps have been available on the web for years, there's a reason why apple wont put flash player on the iphone. Its funny with the iphone games to be honest its like we are going through the 8/16 bit eras all over again, but if its fun to play and cheap which angry birds is then who cares

  • cw- #19 2 years ago

    I could see this working as TV shorts, like roadrunner/ Wile-E-Coyote length, but not as "full" length (20/30mins) cartoons.. and certainly not as a movie.

  • dirtysteve #20 2 years ago

    'nurture and build around what you have' Or flog it relentlessly til it bears little of the original magic a.k.a Lucasnomics

  • ColdShoulder #21 2 years ago

    It's a shit game with random physics and zero skill.

  • Shikasama #22 2 years ago

    This was on Kotaku ages ago

  • peterfll #23 2 years ago

    I do love the way the piggies chuckle at you.

  • Razz #24 2 years ago

    Chicken run might have something to say about this

  • Shikasama #25 2 years ago

    I prefer DoodleJump

  • Acrid #26 2 years ago

    "The company behind Angry Birds hopes to sell the rights to produce TV shows, movies, toys and comics based on the hit iPhone game."

    I hope they can't, there's already enough absolute shite on TV/Cinema as it is. A phone iPhone game does not a good movie make.

  • Toothball #27 2 years ago

    Isn't there some rule that the bad puns have to go in the by-line rather than the headline?

  • triple_a #28 2 years ago

    I would buy an Angry Birds plush toy for my daughter in an instant. My daughter's favorite game. She's 4 years old and can play it on her own. That's pretty awesome and a testament to both the usability of the iPod touch and to Rovio's game design.

  • Bander #29 2 years ago

    "the majority of succesful iphone apps have been available on the web for years, there's a reason why apple wont put flash player on the iphone."

    Yup. This is why I like phones that can run .swf files. Free apps, lots of them and no content restrictions! But to the masses I guess these aren't really apps because Steve Jobs didn't invent them...

  • Freek #30 2 years ago

    Remember "The Anoying Thing" and the Beverly Hills cop theme song? Yeah, be carefull before you spam the world with the meme of the moment, people quickly turn on you.

  • SilentNinja92 #31 2 years ago

    It is a very good game. not sure how it'll work on a psp as the touch controls keep it fast. Id get annoyed using the analouge stick.

    But tbh its hardly that incredible. Plants Vs zombies is better. Infact if you want a really good game that'll keep you going. Im loving worms on the touch, and simcity. 2 very well made games there.

    I dont see how this will translate into films and cartoons though. The story is non existant and most people who own an ipod touch or iphone wont be young enough to care for it. Yes there are adult cartoons but i cant see this ever comparing to family guy.

    at the end of the day its only a small game. I cant play for more than 10 mins before i play something else. If I were them Id do a sequel with 200 or so levels, some new themes and birds. maybe add in a competitive mode against other birds (like worms, turn based,love that game =P)

    Then stick a small add on the game on the menu screen, saying about a new game. Just a little sign on the corner which if you click takes you to thr store.

    Its a brand name we know and love, just make another addicting game and do the same. The brand power could turn them into the number one app games maker.

  • jonsaan #32 2 years ago

    Commence beating horse until it is dead. Go!

  • Lee_Morris #33 2 years ago

    Well all that sounds very sickening.

  • SniperZoz #34 2 years ago

    Angry Birds tv show!? what the what?!?