Rovio is entering into their biggest collaboration yet with LucasFilm for Angry Birds Star Wars. It also gives the company a toe-hold in the Hollywood market they have long seemed to covet.
“It’s great synergy to be so close to the entertainment capital of the world, especially with our short animations coming up later this fall,” said executive vice president of strategic partnerships, Andrew Stalbow. “And we just announced our collaboration with LucasFilm on Angry Birds Star Wars, which is going to be a huge entertainment property. Angry Birds Star Wars is going to be huge. It’s two of the biggest, most beloved entertainment brands collaborating on this massive new project, not just in games but also in animation and merchandising. We’re really excited for our fans to check out this new galaxy, which combines the best of Angry Birds and Star Wars.”
“We’ve transitioned from being a mobile game company to a fully integrated entertainment company, and we’re going to continue developing our entertainment services. That being said, we’ve never done things the ‘traditional’ way, so we’re going to have a lot going on beyond Hollywood,” he added.
Stalbow had nothing to announce about an Angry Birds movie, but clearly branding elements is on his mind as the company expands out elements like theme parks. “We’re really interested in bridging the digital-physical divide, and encouraging kids to get outside and interact with their environment. Angry Birds parks give another way for kids to engage with the characters, have fun, and use their imagination. Our fans were delighted to see the characters and the game world in real life. It motivates children and families to spend time outside playing and having fun. We have very good experiences from
Särkänniemi Park. When the average visitor rate in amusement parks in Northern Europe went down 20 percent this season, in Särkänniemi they had a 12 percent increase.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
