Finnish games developer Rovio Mobile, the company behind “Angry Birds,” has raised $42 million in its first round of funding with Atomico Ventures, run by Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, and venture capital groups Accel Partners and Felicis Ventures.
COLOGNE, Germany — Rovio, makers of Angry Birds, have announced the official bow of their long-awaited animated television series based on the gaming phenomenon. Starting March 16, the Angry Birds Toons series promises a new episode every week featuring the adventures of the egg-stealing pigs and those furious feathered folk.
“An all-new animated series that throws the doors to Piggy Island wide open!” is how Rovio described the game-to-TV crossover on its blog today, announcing the upcoming launch.
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While the majority of Angry Birds fans will, initially at least, have to watch the series on Rovio’s website, the show has been licensed to a broadcaster in Ukraine, who will give Angry Birds Toons its on-air debut next month.
The cartoon is a further move by Finnish-based Rovio to extend its hugely successful Angry Birds brand. More than 260 million users have downloaded one of Rovio’s Angry Birds apps — a huge potential audience should Rovio put its cartoons into future games or updates. The animated series also should be a driver for future sales of games and Angry Birds toys and merchandise.
You can check out a trailer for the new Angry Birds cartoon below.
