The Eagle of the Flock

Two years ago few people recognised the name of Finnish game producer Rovio Mobile Ltd. Fast forward to a few months ago and the company’s chief marketing officer, Peter Vesterbacka was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Rovio’s creation, Angry Birds, has become a phenomenon. The most downloaded game of all time, it is played more than 200 million minutes a day.

The story of a group of angry birds whose eggs have been robbed by pigs has charmed people around the world. The birds are most popular in the United States, Western Europe, South Korea and Israel but are catching on quickly in our part of the world in countries like China and India, as smartphones become more common.

Reader’s Digest: When did you realise Angry Birds was a big hit?

Peter Vesterbacka: When the game’s fans wanted to take photos with me. It felt a little baffling at first. A year ago, we were pleased if someone in the US, for instance, recognised the bird figure on my hoodie. Now, as soon as I get to the airport, the Customs officers strike up a conversation with me, telling me which level they’ve completed.

Was the game’s huge success a surprise?

Not really. Rovio had already deve-loped 51 games before Angry Birds was born. Each time we finished a new game, we would make our friends and families test it first. They usually returned the phones quite soon with a casual comment like, “The game was all right”. When we gave them Angry Birds for testing, no-one wanted to give up their test phones. They just wanted to keep on playing.

How did Angry Birds come about?

In the spring of 2009, our head designer, Jaakko Iisalo, created a game design featuring these bird characters. The original game idea didn’t work, but everyone fell in love with the birds. We wanted to develop a game based on them. It took us eight months and finally in December 2009, we brought it into the market. We thought we would be able to sell 100,000 and cover development costs. Sales grew gradually and the Angry Birds phenomenon took off in the spring of 2010.

Why is the game so popular?

It’s easy to start playing Angry Birds but very hard to stop. The game is not too intense. It doesn’t take fast reflexes to play. We have received feedback from grandparents saying this is the first mobile game that they can play together with their grand-children. The main reason for the game’s success is, after all, the birds.

What makes the birds appealing?

They’ve got a bit of an edge. The birds are not the perfect superhero characters, and that makes it easy for people to identify with them. The birds are angry, and for very good reason. There are many different bird characters in the game, each with its own fans.

Which of the birds is the most popular?

Probably the red bird because people get to see it a lot. Also, the black bomb bird because it’s so effective.

And the least popular?

The boomerang bird invokes the most passionate responses. Some people like it best and some outright hate it because it is harder to use.

Do people like the pigs?

The pigs are quite popular; they sell well as toys.

Is game development now being pushed to the background?

Rovio is not just a game developer, we’re also an entertainment com-pany. We have already put a lot of effort into developing our merchandise, such as toys and a cookbook. We intend to develop Angry Birds into a strong brand within the entertainment business. We are constantly developing new Angry Birds-themed games, but we won’t publish them until we are 100 percent satisfied.

What is your favourite bird?

Mighty Eagle. I even have that as my title on my business card.