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.
Angry Birds will be screaming into space in a new animated series announced today at MIPTV. It is the latest bid by the owner of the hit casual game built on Facebook to expand itself into a multi-platform franchise, from plush toys to TV and including plans for a theme park in the UK.
The 52-episode animated Angry Birds series – each between two to three minutes in length – is being produced by Rovio at its in-house production studios in Finland but co-production partners are being sought, Rovio’s head of animation Nick Dorra told the Mip TV audience in Cannes.
Delegates were shown a 90-second preview of the animated and no-dialogue series, which is about the birds being catapulted into space. Dorra wore a bright red Angry Bird emblazoned hoodie as he described to delegates Rovio’s plans for the first TV series and reiterated plans for a theatrical film. “We want to be on all screens,” he said.
Speaking to THR on the side of the conference, Dorra said that the planned Angry Birds theatrical film announced last summer that has former Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel attached as advisor, has no set release date. “It’s a good idea but you can also break things if you are not careful, so we have to be careful,” said Dorra.
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