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| When we thought about enemies for the birds, the pigs came in quite naturally. I tried to make them a bit less piglike, which is why they’re green and feature round ears. I like cute, but I didn’t want them to be too obviously cute.— game designer Jaakko Iisalo to Edge magazine |
He calls himself the Mighty Eagle. He was featured as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential in 2011. Peter Vesterbacka, the CMO of Helsinki-based Rovio Mobile, the developers of Angry Birds, flaps his wings in an email interview to t2 on the game’s success story.
Angry Birds is BIG in India. What is it about the game that is so addictive?
There is no single reason. It’s a combination of many things. Angry Birds is one of the first games really made for touch-screen devices. Also, the characters are really powerful… everybody loves the birds and loves to hate the pigs. The game is also very easy to pick up and very difficult to put down. When you put all the bits and pieces together, it’s a great gaming experience.
Congrats on 500 million downloads worldwide. How many are from India?
Right now we have about 8 million downloads in India but we expect that number to grow very fast now that we added support for the Nokia Asha feature phones.
Did you start calling yourself Mighty Eagle before or after the game’s success?
Before! I have always believed that the role of the business card is to create a reaction and dialogue. With Mighty Eagle on the card there’s always dialogue.
Tell us about the ‘why’ behind the slingshot, the circular shape of the birds and pigs and the ‘wheeee’ sound of the birds being flung...
The slingshot was a pretty late addition to the game. It was added to make the game easier to pick up, everybody immediately knows how to use the slingshot and how to play the game. The whole game was built around the bird characters designed by Jaakko Iisalo, our game designer. The sounds in the game are our development team having fun.
How often do you play the game? What level have you reached?
I play the game several times a week. I play all the new levels until I pass them… part of the job is to make sure we deliver a great experience to our fans.
One tip to play the game well?
Look at the level carefully, there’s almost always a trick shot that you can do to clear the level.
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Some of the other casual games you love (not necessarily made by Rovio)?
I think Plants vs Zombies is a great game. Halfbrick has also done a great job with Fruit Ninja.
Is it true that Rovio was on the brink of collapse in 2009 and then Angry Birds happened?
Yes. Without Angry Birds the company might not even be around anymore.
Your advice to game developers?
Stay the course. Believe in what you do. Rovio made 51 games before Angry Birds, so overnight success is not always to be had.
There’s a lot of local Angry Birds merchandise stuff available here in India... all pirated though. So what’s your fightback strategy?
We would obviously love to sell only official Angry Birds products in India as well, but at the same time we are very happy to see the amazing demand for all things Angry Birds in India and all over the world. In China we are opening our own retail stores (their first store opened in Finland on 11.11.11), we might need to do the same thing in India too.
Is it true that Rovio has hired David Maisel, the Marvel Comics boss, to create the first of the Angry Birds films? Tell us more!
Yes, David is the executive producer of our Angry Birds movies. The first one will be out in the next 2-3 years, it takes a lot of time to create a full feature length animated film. We will keep you posted on the development as we want to engage our fans in everything we do at Rovio. And while we all really look forward to the first movie, the animation studio at Rovio is busy making more of our famous animated shots. Our fans can check out the progress on our YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/angrybirds.
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WHAT IS ANGRY BIRDS?
No, they aren’t love birds having an argument! Angry Birds is a very addictive puzzle game. A flock of multi-coloured birds are angry because the hungry green pigs have stolen their eggs. So the circular-shaped wingless birds are flung from slingshots to destroy the pigs, who seek shelter in constructions made of wood, glass, stone and steel. What’s exciting is finding a weak spot in these physics-based constructions so that the whole thing collapses and kills the pigs. The whole point is to destroy the pigs’ hideout and win stars — one, two or three! Plus, as you clear levels, new birds appear with special abilities. The game was first developed by Rovio Mobile for Apple in 2009 and is now available on Windows and Android in free and paid versions, usually costing between $0.99 and $4 (Rs 51 to Rs 200). Most people download the app for free from the Android Market or play it for free on Google Chrome. Seasonal editions like Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Halloween are also available.
KNOW YOUR ANGRY BIRDS
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The white bird drops explosive eggs when clicked after launch. Unofficially called the Egg Beater.
The yellow or Marching Bird can be tapped to increase its velocity.
The green bird turns into a boomerang to tackle hard-to-reach pigs. Nicknamed the Parabeak.
The big red bird is a more dangerous version of his cousin, the red bird.
The blue bird or Glass Jaw splits into three small birds when clicked.
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The red bird is the first avian missile that players encounter. Also known as Wood Breaker.
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The black bird explodes and destroys pigs and buildings around it. Unofficially called Kamikaze.
Why is it so addictive ?
It’s comical and cute. If you listen carefully, you’ll even hear the snickering grunt of the pigs when you fail to cross the level — not just the angry chatter of the birds. The game is easy to pick up and the levels get over quickly. You can even replay each level till you master the art of eliminating all the pigs using only one bird so you can attain all three stars. There’s mystery, too, like why are there bananas on the ground in some levels? Plus, it’s cheap. Rovio has made it available for $0.99 on almost all gaming platforms. And it can be played for free on the Google Chrome browser.
BABY, I’M ADDICTED!
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Here there Everywhere
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