“The shame for Finland is it isn’t Rovio buying Sega…” Six ex-Rovio staff give t | Pocket Gamer.biz

With Sega set to acquire Rovio for $775 million it’s the deal of the year (so far) and as such one with multiple angles to view and stories to tell.

Both parties are extremely well known for their flagship IPs and with Rovio’s experience in live service Sega just got the power to massively expand into the mobile market. And on the flip side, Sega can support Rovio cross-platform and give those Angry Birds new wings.

While outside of gaming both have already made moves in the world of movies and merch, granting this acquisition an entirely new layer to expire.

So is it a match made in heaven? With current ‘Rovians’ legally bound to silence we asked some famous former employees of Rovio to share their thoughts on the deal.

 

Previously: CMO and ‘Mighty Eagle’ at Rovio, 2010-2016

What’s your reaction to the Rovio/Sega deal?

“I think it’s good that there’s a deal and it puts an end to speculation around what will or will not happen to Rovio.”

Is this the best deal for all concerned? Why is Sega doing this?

“I think it’s a reasonably good deal, all things considered. Could even be a win-win, Sega brings more muscle and the Angry Birds brand is very powerful.”

Is the price about right, do you think?

“The price is right. Always is.”

Is it sad to see another big Finnish studio passing into foreign hands? Coming after Supercell, Seriously, Futureplay, Next…

“It’s of course sad that we can’t do ownership as well as we do games in Finland, but it is what it is. Maybe we’ll learn in the future.”

Is the Rovio that Sega is buying today a totally different business from the one you worked for?

“It’s different, but not that different. Angry Birds is an amazing brand and that’s the most valuable thing in Rovio. I think it’s great that there’s appreciation and demand for the Angry Birds brand. The brand has a lot more potential!”

The Finnish mobile games ecosystem has been the most successful per capita in the world. Can they keep this up?

“Of course. The success so far is only a good start, there will be ten times more successes. We can expect many more success stories. The talent density here is amazing and the ones with the talent win.”

Who could be the next Rovio?

“Sega!”

 

Previously: CMO, Rovio, 2016-2021

What’s your reaction to the Rovio/Sega deal?

“I was surprised to see the news! From the standpoint of the marquee IP of each company, it feels like it makes sense. Bringing together consumer brands with touchpoints in many businesses, including Hollywood feature films, and combining their respective strengths across gaming platforms sounds like a reasonable proposition.”

Is this the best deal for all concerned? Why is Sega doing this?

“Sega wouldn’t be making this offer unless it saw potential in Rovio’s IP and mobile business. In the best scenario, Rovio will play to their strengths and develop more solid casual mobile games with Sega IP, while Sega may have the muscle to push the Angry Birds movie/entertainment franchise further.”

Is the price about right, do you think?

“Analysts seem to agree that the price is fair, but it’s obviously lower than the initial IPO price so not a stellar outcome. In today’s market, it’s a very reasonable result for the owners.”

Is it sad to see another big Finnish studio passing into foreign hands?

“Not at all, it’s an industry where international consolidation is a natural outcome. Moreover, the acquirer being one of the legendary companies in the industry is a further testament to Rovio’s accomplishments in the history of gaming.”

Is the Rovio that Sega is buying today a totally different business from the one you worked for?

“From the early 2010s: Absolutely! From 2020: Not fundamentally. I hope any new ownership of Rovio will steer the company with clarity and focus on what they do best and that’s tip-top casual games.”

 

Previously: Executive Producer, Rovio, 2016-2018

What’s your reaction to the Rovio/Sega deal?

“Having worked at both my initial reaction to the rumours was “Oh, of course… Why didn’t I think of that.” Both Sonic and Angry Birds are very alike: IPs which are hugely recognisable across various countries and ages, games based, but transmedia with successful recent movies. However, their best days are behind them. They’re sort of like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard – beloved but tinged with being from a forgotten era.

“Sega has a lot more time and experience in licensing and maintaining this kind of B-tier legacy brand. They’ve managed to keep Sonic more relevant than the quality of the games they’ve been releasing for a couple of decades now.”

Is this the best deal for all concerned? Why is Sega doing this?

“I think SEGA have been pretty business as usual with their European acquisitions: I’m thinking Creative Assembly and Sports Interactive. So I can’t imagine they’ve acquired Rovio to massively alter its path.
“I suspect we’ll see some brand crossovers, some consolidation of some departments (e.g. licensing, HR etc), some Sonic games being developed by some of Rovio’s studios. But ultimately Rovio has some decent, profitable mobile games. So I suspect the message from Sega to Rovio is: Keep Angry Birds 2 and the puzzle games pumping.”

Is the price about right, do you think?

“Who knows? It probably feels cheap for those of who were there during the IPO. Even more so for those who were there during the glory years of premium mobile. But it’s what a buyer is willing to pay and I’m sure there were many suitors other than the ones reported.”

Is it sad to see another big Finnish studio passing into foreign hands?

“I think so, yeah. Obviously this is a significant amount of money for a company and it’s significant for Finland. What is perhaps sad is that Rovio was at one point self-proclaiming to be “the next Disney” but it failed to expand beyond Angry Birds and took too long to react to F2P, so lost relevance.

“It’s a company that was known to be chaotic with a lot of changes to management and staff. While as a company it had the ambitions, it never had the vision or consistency to ultimately go the distance. In many ways Rovio is a story of catastrophic success.

“The shame for Finland is it isn’t Rovio buying Sega, which a handful of years ago would look the more likely course. That said, Rovio has been – and I’m sure will continue to be – a training ground for Finnish – and Swedish – game talent.”

Is the Rovio that Sega is buying today a totally different business from the one you worked for?

“Good question: I don’t work there now, so can’t really comment. Indeed, very few people from my tenure are still there. But from the outside it seems reasonably similar: Focused on bringing Angry Birds to various established F2P genres on mobile.

“I obviously have an emotional attachment to both of these companies. Firstly as a player. I write this beside a wall of Sega games and Angry Birds was the first mobile game I really loved, but also as an employee of both these companies. It’s hard not to see them both in the context of faded beauties, trading on their past glories. But that’s unfair. Both Sega and Rovio are making new, young fans year-after-year and while Sonic and Angry Birds don’t have the same allure as Mario or Clash of Clans, they’re still both incredibly relevant to a certain demographic that are very close to each other. Bundling them into a single company seems to make sense. At least for the people who licence lunch boxes.”

 

Previously: VP Marketing, Rovio, 2011-2014

What’s your reaction to the Rovio/Sega deal?

“From the Sonic films to the record-breaking Super Mario Bros. movie, we’ve seen an uptick in legacy games claiming a greater stake in traditional entertainment, both on streaming platforms and at the box office. Audiences have shown an appetite for the IP they love and are looking for new ways to engage with these stories. We have seen this firsthand with Subway Surfers, and SEGA is clearly seizing the moment with their acquisition of Rovio.”

 

Previously: General Manager, Rovio Stars, 2013-2018

What’s your initial reaction to the Rovio/Sega deal?

“This has been a long-awaited deal. Rovio is one of the good acquisition targets left on this scale and with great IP and profitability. Also its owners have incentives to sell to the right kind of buyer.”

Is this the best deal for all concerned? Why is Sega doing this?

“It looks like a good deal for all parties involved. Sega acquisitions have all been growing and Sega is there with long term strategy. I am sure that Rovio will help build Sega a footprint in mobile and enable a lot of future growth in the space.”

Is the price about right?

“I think the price is good. For me it mostly shows that growth companies should be sold in the growth phase and not in this kind of more mature phase. For sure the price would have been higher when all the world was open for Rovio and Angry Birds but at this stage the price seems fair from many angles.”

Is it sad to see another big Finnish studio passing into foreign hands?

“I don’t look at these deals that way. I do not see much difference as to whether Rovio is publicly listed company in Nasdaq Helsinki or if that is owned by Sega. I think the key thing here is to still have main operations in Finland under new ownership who are looking to build and invest into this business in the long run.

“I think that Rovio’s journey is inspiring for the Finnish gaming scene – to see these successful companies are having “exit” and a new future under new ownership. This will inspire and probably also start new game start-ups in Finland as some old Rovio people will also move on to new ventures.”

Is the Rovio that Sega is buying today a totally different business from the one you worked for?

“We are looking at two completely different companies, or at least two completely different phases. Rovio during my years was a fearless and opportunistic growth company and was seeking aggressive growth in new and unseen ways. The current Rovio is a very risk averse company. It’s more like a well oiled machine with finely-tuned live operations excellence.”

The Finnish mobile games ecosystem has been the most successful per capita in the world. Can they keep this up?

“I think this deal will make Rovio even stronger in the long run which enables more talent to grow in Finland. Rovio is doing an awesome job in growing the talent pool in Finland both organically but also by bringing talent abroad. These ex-Rovians have started tens of successful companies making the Finish gaming ecosystem stronger. There are several great companies in Finland who can be the next stars.
“My bet is that Nitro Games will be a rising star as we have massive things coming out later this year!”

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Anonymous Former Rovian

Of course, not all our famous ex-Rovians wanted to be named… 

“I really wish the Playtika deal would have come through. We would all have found out if you can milk a bird…”