Rovio, a game-developing company of Finnish origin is a name many of us are familiar with, if not all of us, due to Angry Birds, their super-popular single-player game that took the world by storm. Angry Birds was and still is a very fond part of the childhood of many of us, and now reports suggest that its developer Rovio is close to being acquired by SEGA, the Japanese game developer.
The billion-dollar deal between SEGA and Rovio
In a report recently published by none other than the highly esteemed business journal Wall Street Journal, it has been stated that Finland’s Rovio is close to being bought by Japan’s popular game-maker SEGA for nearly $1 billion. This has come as a surprise for many given that the Angry Birds franchise is not in its hayday anymore and is far from what it used to be in its prime years, midway through the last decade.
Rovio has also attempted to expand the Angry Birds universe with subsequent movies and media series, which remains in a realm that is somewhere between successful and unsuccessful. But SEGA might be looking further than that and is maybe planning to acquire the company to utilize its brand to market its games and to publish games via Rovio itself. This is likely given that Rovio is already experienced in dealing with mobile games.
The said deal is not the first time this year that a company has attempted to acquire Rovio. In January 2023, Playtika, a company hailing from Israel tried to acquire the company for about $738 million before the deal ultimately fell through. The next deal came from Sega, the current one that is, and it looks like the deal is all but done as of now.
SEGA acquires Rovio Entertainment for $775 million with the deal finalized on April 17th
The reports did come true after all, as the Finnish game studio has been officially acquired by SEGA for an estimated €706 million ($775 million) as the latter officially confirmed the deal. This is less than what the reports initially suggested, and also a mere $37 million raise over Playtika’s offer.
However, SEGA’s legacy and position in the market might have made Rovio opt-in. SEGA stated in its official statement adds that they intend to accelerate its growth in the worldwide gaming market and boost its corporate value by generating synergies between them and Rovio’s assets, which will include global IPs and live-operated mobile game development capabilities.
Final Thoughts
Since the deal is now completed, this might just revitalize Rovio because Sega is one of the most regarded gaming companies in the world. It might just be the best decision when looking at it from the perspective of both companies. It remains to be seen how it will turn out in real-time though, and as fans, we want nothing more than success from this deal.
Have you played any games from either Rovio or SEGA? What are your thoughts about Rovio, the makers of Angry Birds getting acquired by SEGA? Let us know in the comments below!
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