While most studios team up with developers to create games that support existing properties, Disney is going the opopsite direction with the release of their latest iOS game. Their goal for Swampy the Alligator here isn’t just to snag the top spot for app purchases: they want to see him break into movies and merch too.
In short, they want this alligator to be like the Angry Birds.
Swampy stars in Disney Mobile’s “Where’s The Water?”, and while he lives in the sewers, he’s (ironically) a bit of a clean freak. Players must direct water into Swampy’s shoddy plumbing by cutting paths through the ground, all so Swampy can get his much-needed shower.
A few quick minutes playing the game has confirmed my suspicions: it already seems to have the same addictive charm that made Cut The Rope and Angry Birds such efficient timewasters.
Methinks that’s exactly what Disney Mobile GM Bart Decrem had in mind. Formerly the CEO of Tapulous, makers of one of iOS’s first rhythm games, Decrem has a very keen awareness of what gives a mobile game the “stickiness” that keeps players coming back.
He notes in an interview with the AP that the mobile space is huge with Disney’s target audience, saying that “this is where a generation of kids is growing up.” He thinks it’s important for Disney to be able to tell compelling new stories on a platform that kids are falling in love with.
Decrem has also said that one of the goals of the launch was to “incubate new characters that can cross over into other Disney business units like movies and merchandise.” Even if Swampy doesn’t quite make it, it seems it’s now a priority for Disney Mobile to take on the Angry Birds.
Angry Birds, if you’ve been lucky enough to live under a rock for the past few months, has spawned a truly obscene amount of merch. Angry Birds clothing, toys, and (less officially) Chinese moon pies have all been spotted, and there’s even word that a movie is in the works. It’s a lofty goal for Disney to shoot for, but one that they’re uniquely equipped to take advantage of if Swampy’s fame transcends his game.
Assuming the interest is there, a Swampy movie could become a reality sooner than expected because Disney can essentially do all the production work in-house. Of course, the company also already has the connections with manufacturers to quickly (and cheaply) churn out gobs of Swampy merchandise. Disney has proven themselves to have considerable muscle when it comes to cross-promotion too, so if this app happens to take off, expect to see Swampy toys in your kid’s Happy Meal before too long.
The game has just gone live in the App Store today, and it’ll run you $.99 — we’ll have to see if Disney’s ambitions are realized, but it’s a great timewaster nonetheless.
By now, the never-ending battle between egg-addicted swine and those vengeful, victimized avian avatars is certainly a more well-known feud than the respective tiffs between the Montagues and Capulets, the Hatfields and the McCoys, or even the North and the South.
So, having eclipsed such centuries-old cultural touchstones, it’s probably about time we started dressing our kids up like chubby green pigs and pissed-off birds and sending them over to the neighbors’ place to beg for corn syrup in all its assorted forms. Who’s with me?
That rustling sound is a bajillion online retailers raising their hands at once. Any number of outlets like Costume Discounters are offering a full line of surprisingly awesome Angry Birds Halloween costumes this year.
Most of what’s available from an untold amount of resellers comes from Scranton, Penn.-based Paper Magic Group, which makes all kinds of seasonal goodies from Christmas cards and Valentines to costumes. And no, that’s not a typo for all you fans of “The Office”—your Angry Birds costume does in fact come from a Scranton-based paper company. Perhaps Dwight Schrute had a hand in crafting that fine pig outfit.
Check out this video of some of the costumes in action, set to a funky Latin dance beat. Turns out it’s more interesting to reenact even the most basic Angry Birds level than the most complicated Civil War battle between the North and South. Sorry, history.
Angry Birds is, by many standards, the world’s most successful iPhone game, selling over 350 million copies since its launch in November 2009.
Thanks to the success of its creator Rovio, it’s also a proudly Finnish export, something Finland’s flag-carrier Finnair intends to capitalize on with the launch of a branded Angry Birds flight.
Though it’s something of a surprise that travel brands haven’t jumped on the bandwagon already, Finnair is set to be the first company to take Angry Birds to 35,000 feet, inviting top fans to join a flight it’s calling the ‘Angry Birds Asian Challenge’.
The flight, which takes off September 20 from Helsinki to Singapore, will allow travelers to play Angry Birds on board using games consoles distributed to passengers and programmed especially for the event.
Finnair says that service and entertainment aboard the flight will also be with ‘Angry Birds style’, adding - rather alarmingly - that a ‘real angry bird’ will also be on board.
To be selected for the trip, fans have to fill out an application form on the website and collect as many Facebook ‘likes’ as they can, with a jury screening the final eight winners.
Finnair’s partnership with Rovio is a unique one, but it’s by no means the only airline working hard to offer passengers in-flight entertainment to while away the time.
Both Virgin America and Qantas unveiled upgrades to their in-flight entertainment systems last month, packing in more entertainment such as live television or destination information.
Angry Birds fans, you have one more chance to be the first to fly on Finn Air’s fully-customized Angry Birds Airbus A340.A contest run by Singapore’s Changi Airport and Finnair offers fans of the popular iPhone games the chance to be one of the first to experience the co-branded plane, where Angry Birds style service, entertainment and a “real angry bird” onboard — in the form of a steward or stewardess perhaps? — is expected.
Fans simply have to send in Tweets — by September 12 — to @Finnair_sg and @fansofchangi on why they are Singapore’s biggest Angry Birds fan.
Eight of the best answers will qualify as finalists, and go on to pit their Angry Bird game skills in a face-off challenge held at Changi Airport on September 17.
The winner will board a plane to Helsinki less than 12 hours later, be taken on a tour of Rovio HQ before flying back to Singapore on September 20 with the other international Angry Bird fans on the inaugural flight.
And since there’s no such thing as a free holiday, he/she will take part in the — what else? — an Angry Birds Asian Challenge played 35,000 feet in the air.
While this is all one huge gimmick, it is one of way of saying you’re been to Helsinki, and how many of us can claim that?
The Window of the World theme park, located in the Chinese city of Changsha, opened the new game this month, calling it “The Real Version of Angry Birds”. The game allows visitors to catapult bird-shaped balls at targets with an actual slingshot. The iconic cartoon characters from Angry Birds are also used in the promotions for the game.
“The game did not receive any authorization from Rovio,” said Daisy Yang, a spokeswoman for the company’s China business. Rovio said it learned of the theme park game from recent media reports.
But rather than take legal action, Rovio has entered into talks with the theme park about creating a long-term partnership. “We would welcome a partnership, but Rovio would need to give them permission to use the Angry Birds game,” Yang said.
An employee with the theme park claimed it had already received permission from Rovio’s Chinese representatives, and that the two parties were in discussions about a long-term partnership. The theme park’s Angry Birds game, which will run until the end of the month, was created as a way to help players release stress, he added.
Partnering with the theme park fits into Rovio’s strategy to not only expand the presence of its Angry Birds game in China, but also sell more merchandise around the game.
The company has high hopes for the Chinese market, and wants its Angry Birds game to reach 100 million downloads in the country by the end of this year. To this end, it is working to create Chinese versions of Angry Birds, which the company plans to release this month.
Rovio hopes to eventually turn Angry Birds into an entire entertainment franchise. It has already begun to sell T-shirts, iPhone cases, and Chinese traditional moon cakes, all tied to the Angry Birds game.
But the company is well aware of rampant piracy and counterfeiting in China. While speaking in Beijing in April, Rovio’s chief marketing officer Peter Vesterbacka said the company took pride in being one of the top three most copied brands in China. Now the company aims to translate that popularity into sales, he added.
They have no wings. Their eggs have been stolen by pigs. So, yeah, they’re pretty angry. Contemplate their mood at length with our free Angry Birds theme for Windows 7.
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Note: Windows 7 themes can only be used in Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions.
The folks at Rovio are back with yet another Angry Birds title. Angry Birds Seasons “Summer Pignic” is the latest installment of the famed franchise that’s set to drop very soon.
As you eagerly anticipate more addictive gameplay from Angry Birds, you can watch this teaser trailer!
Who’s pumped?
Episode 1-11 of the newly released Angry Birds Summer Pignic series racks up some of the highest scores I think I’ve ever seen. You are required to get 215,000 points just to get three stars. There is a whole lot of destruction going here. Pretty cool. Check out some of the high scoring Summer Pignic
After you’ve spent many hours valiantly defending your golden eggs from the evil piggies what would Rovio have you do now? Eat them of course. Yep, it looks like the boys in marketing may not have really gotten into the spirit of the game. Rovio’s latest attempt to turn birds into gold comes in the form of an EGG cook book.
The promotional release exclaims ‘easy and fuss-free (for the most part) recipes, additively fun activities and impressive party moves… From the classics to off the wall, these top-secret egg recipes will fill your tummy and tickle your brain!’
Bad Piggies Recipe Book is now available for pre-order on Rovio’s site.
At least they could have split the difference and gone with ham and eggs:)
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