The result is a Byzantine monetization scheme with price rungs that are nonsensical on the face: Why for instance pay $4.99 for the desktop and Nook Color editions when the the iPad version is $1.99? Why shell out $. (The amount is just added to a mobile user’s monthly bill.) Memorabilia - The 3 million plush toys sold, from $4.99 stuffed birds to a $35 iPhone case.īad Piggy Bank - an SMS-based payment system the company is still testing that will make it possible for users to pay for games without the need to register or use a credit card. 99 paid version and a free “Lite” version you can upgrade 99 paid version and a free “Lite” version you can upgradeĪngry Birds: Rio iPhone - a $. 99Īngry Birds: Seasons, with updates for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter Symbian - a $1.99 paid version and free “Lite” edition you can upgrade Windows - a “Lite” version you can upgrade for $4.95 IPad - a $2.99 paid version and a free “Lite” version you can upgrade So here’s a table of everything Angry Birds right now:Īngry Birds iPhone - a $. In fact there are so many variations and revenue pipelines, it’s hard to keep track. There are paid, free, and ad-supported versions, seasonal and non-seasonal updates. Then there’s Angry Birds proper and the more recently-released Angry Birds Rio, which swaps out smug neon enemy swine for marmosets. Rovio has cast a net so wide it spans multiple platforms: Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone and iPad, Google’s (GOOG) Android and the multitude of “interface layers” each carrier uses to differentiate itself, Hewlett Packard’s WebOS (HPQ), Nokia’s (NOK) Symbian, even Barnes & Noble’s (BKS) Nook and Sony’s PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. There are actually at least 25 different ways to get Angry Birds. “Our business is very much based on volume, which makes for example distributing the Android version of the game free with advertising profitable,” says Ville Heijari, Vice President of Franchise Development for the game maker. By putting a fun user experience with arresting game play at easy reach to all manner of players, Rovio has shown how the audience fragmentation traditional media companies are fearful of can be turned from a liability to an asset. Rather, Rovio’s genius has been to appeal to game players across a wide variety of platforms, demographics, price points and interest levels. That’s not because they’re too busy slinging birds across their screens to care. But it’s one largely invisible to Rovio’s actual customers. It’s the kind of market saturation most app makers - content makers of any kind, really - only dream of. The feather in Rovio’s cap? Talks of an Angry Birds movie, of course. Its sole virtual good, the “Mighty Eagle,” which clears the entire screen of enemies, has been purchased by more than 50 million users since December three million plush toys have been sold, and in China, the growing franchise is considered one of the top three brands alongside the likes of Disney and Hello Kitty. Since launching as an iPhone app in December 2009, the franchise has been downloaded 200 million times - double the number reported just three months ago - and is available on 30% of all new smart phones. FORTUNE - You don’t have to try very hard to spot Angry Birds in their natural habitat - online - because they are as ubiquitous as a Manhattan pigeon.
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