SEGA buys ‘Angry Birds’ gaming company Rovio for lots of gold rings

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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