SEGA, the company that created Sonic the Hedgehog, has acquired Rovio, the company behind the Angry Birds phenomenon, in a deal worth $775 million.
That’s a lot of gold rings.
In a statement, Rovio CEO Alexandre Pelletier-Normand enthused, “I grew up playing Sonic the Hedgehog, captivated by its state-of-the-art design. Later, when I played Angry Birds for the first time, I knew that gaming had evolved into a true mainstream phenomenon, with the power to shape modern culture.”
What began as a mobile game in 2009, Angry Birds has since spawned a franchise of some 30 games, an animated series, a pair of feature films in 2016, and 2019, respectively, and scads of merchandise.
Sony Pictures is releasing The Angry Birds Movie 3: Tropi-Collapse in 2024.
For his part, Sonic became a movie star in 2020, and a sequel was released two years later. His next big screen bow is set for December 20, 2024 from Paramount Pictures — and don’t be surprised if his new angry avian co-workers make an appearance.
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