Almost everyone who owns a smartphone has probably heard of Angry Birds, so it’s no wonder that this game is one of the most popular available to date for any smartphone operating system, including Android and iOS. So what is causing this game all the rage?
What is Angry Birds?
The game, developed by Rovio Mobile, is a puzzle-style video game in which players sling birds at the evil green pigs or the structures those pigs occupy. The structures on each level are made of materials such as ice, wood, and stone. The objective of the Angry Birds game is for the player to eliminate all the pigs in each level by hitting the structures with the sling to damage them, causing them to collapse and kill the pigs.
At different levels of the game, special items such as explosive boxes and rocks are found and can be used to help destroy pigs and structures. The game is divided into several episodes, each of which contains several levels. The first episode is called “Poached Eggs,” which begins the birds’ quest to chase down the pigs that stole their eggs. Rovio also released Halloween and Christmas themed editions of the Angry Birds game in 2010.
Games FAQ
The game was first released for Apple’s iOS in December 2009, making the game available to most iPhone, iPad, and iPod users, and Rovio has said they have sold more than 12 million copies. , and most of the downloads are attributed to the iPhone app. . This success has led the company to design versions for other smartphones such as those that use the Symbian or Android operating systems.
The Android version is free and is based on ad-based revenue. In its first 24 hours of availability, the Android version was downloaded 1 million times, causing the server to crash at one point. The company has seen more than 30 million downloads from its free app versions, including “lite” versions for other systems. Versions of Angry Birds have already been released for both PC and game consoles and it is expected to be as popular as the iPhone app.
Why so popular?
The combination of low price with its addictive gameplay and humorous tone has led to the Angry Birds game for iPhone being downloaded more than 50 million times in total on all systems. According to recent statistics, Angry Birds watches over 200 million minutes of gameplay per day!
For a game that initially cost roughly $ 140,000 to develop, he now makes more than $ 2 million per month from half the sales and half from the advertising. The game has also received positive reviews and Conan O’Brien has even mentioned Angry Birds on his late-night TV show. The overwhelming popularity has led to cross-marketing, which has included T-shirts, stuffed animals of birds and pigs, as well as an upcoming version of the board game.
In March 2011, Angry Birds Rio will tie in with the release of 20th Century Fox’s animated film “Rio,” which is scheduled to be available for iOS and Android. Angry Birds characters will appear in Rio de Janeiro and try to rescue other birds, including those from the film. There has also been talk of an animated feature film for the birds themselves, but such a film will be further in the future.