"Angry Birds" sets new record by reaching 500 million downloads

Angry Birds sets new record by reaching 500 million downloads

By Dan Whitworth

Newsbeat technology reporter

Page last updated at 10:02 GMT, Thursday, 3 November 2011

Angry Birds has become the first game to achieve 500 million downloads.

The milestone was reached less than two years after it was released.

Growing popularity in China, where it's been downloaded 50 million times, and strong figures from elsewhere in the world has ensured its success.

"This is a fantastic landmark achievement for us, and we're extremely delighted to see such an incredible amount of people enjoying our games," said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio.

The developer is certainly trying to make the most of the game's success.

The company has already shipped 10 million Angry Birds toys and its first retail outlet is due to open in Helsinki.

Billion fans

More stores will follow in China within 12 months where fake merchandise has caused it some problems.

There are also book and film plans in the pipeline and Rovio intends to expand the brand into other areas.

Rovio recently raised £26m in investment, which valued the company at £760m.

There has also been talk of a stock market flotation next year.

The plans mean the company has come a long way since it was on the verge of going bust just two years ago.

It was founded in 2003 but by 2009 the company was struggling and down to 12 employees.

It now employs 170 people and has publicly stated that its next goal is to reach one billion fans.

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15571065

"Angry Birds" Tops 500 Million Downloads

Angry Birds Tops 500 Million Downloads

By Chloe Albanesius

November 2, 2011 12:11pm EST

The addictive Angry Birds has surpassed 500 million downloads, which game maker Rovio said makes it the most downloaded game in the history of gaming.

Players are not just downloading and moving on, however. Rovio said its users average about 300 million minutes of playing time daily, meaning they have played about 200,000 years of Angry Birds in total. More than 266 billion levels of Angry Birds have been played and 400 billion birds have been launced into action, collecting 44 billion Stars along the way, Rovio said.

"This is a fantastic landmark achievement for us, and we're extremely delighted to see such an incredible amount of people enjoying our games," said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. "We remain committed to creating more fun experiences and bringing exceptional quality to Angry Birds Fans everywhere."

The original Angry Birds, as well as its holiday and Rio versions, are available on all major smartphone platforms, Google's Chrome browser via the Web Store, and PC and Macs. More recently, Nokia unveiled a version of the game for its features phones; for more, check out PCMag's hands on and the slideshow below.

Rovio has been selling Angry Birds plush toys and other paraphernalia for some time, and has already shipped more than 10 million Angry Birds toys worldwide. The company said today that it will soon open its first retail store in Helsinki and recently launched its first Angry Birds print book. The company is also moving forward with cartoon production, thanks to the recent acquisition of a Helsinki-based animation studio.

For more, check out this infographic, which tries to figure out why Angry Birds is so addictive.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395752,00.asp#fbid=5Y9T3aMKABq