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According to sources, a new mystery investor, who is probably from the world of entertainment, is in talks with the Finnish gaming company, Rovio Entertainment, with the intention of making strategic investments. The talks are pointing to a valuation of $1.2 billion for Rovio. The list of likely investors include some of the big names like - Electronic Arts, Zynga, the social gaming company behind FarmVille, Rupert Murdochs News Corp. and The Walt Disney Company.
Since its launch in 2009, Angry Birds, in which gamers fire a range of birds at green pigs who have stolen their eggs, has been downloaded more than 300 million times. This game has become the most successful smartphone apps of all time. Originally it was released for the iPhone, but off late Rovio has added versions for Android and Nokia, as well PCs and Macs. The famous birds and their bovine rivals have also been turned into a range of toys, fridge magnets and even a clothing range.
In March, this year, Rovio had raised $42 million from a group that includes Accel Partners and Atomico, an investment fund controlled by Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom. Rovio is also planning to make an Angry Birds movie, which could further drive the popularity of the franchise and possibly increase its hold on the smartphone gaming market. The company has revealed that it is looking forward to roping in a further 100 million users in China.
Only this week, Angry Birds made its Google+ debut, along with other social games including Bejeweled and Zynga Poker.
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