Rovio Entertainment is keen on expanding its presence in India with new licensing and partners.
According to a report in Livemint, the company behind the iconic Angry Birds mobile game franchise hopes that the popularity of the characters will help it be successful in the Indian market.
“India is already one of our top markets in licensing and it also does very well in content,” said Rovio’s head of brand licensing Simo Hamalainen on the sidelines of India Licensing Expo.
Simo, was in Mumbai to launch the Angry Birds India style guide and a new merchandising line with localized designs at the ongoing.
According to Simo, the company is putting in more effort into localization and licensing deals.
Amidst tough competitions in the gaming market, Rovio has managed to build Angry Birds into a sustainable brand.
Besides entertainment and content, the company has now forayed into various categories such as animated web and TV series, consumer products, books, amusement parks and a full-length feature film; which henceforth has helped in expanding from the core gaming audience to a much wider segment.
The major reason for the brand’s consistent growth remains strong partnerships in retail and content licensing.
Rovio has more than 300 active licensing deals globally that brought in over €49 million in revenue last year. Besides, the company has partnered with top-notch brands such as PepsiCo, Parle, National Football League and Iron Maiden for a wider reach of audience.
According to Nikhil Guha, creative director at advertising agency Publicis, the theme, sound effects and the cute and gullible characters helped the brand in becoming popular.
Other plans include a long-form animation series for television, 10 new games, as well as an expansion of their recent ventures into live shows and theme parks.
“This is the strongest content roadmap we’ve had yet. Our strategy is that we look long term. We populate that roadmap with content that our fans are looking for. It’s a truly 360-degree approach,” Hamalainen was quoted as saying from Livemint.
Rovio has been actively seeking new brands to acquire and expand the brand portfolio.
Moreover, Angry Birds featuring colourful birds and green pigs as their enemies continued to enjoy runaway success.
With the advent of the 10th Anniversary of Angry Birds, Rovio prepares to kick off its next phase of growth with the release of a second Angry Birds film in September 2019.
Released in December 2009, the game has racked up over 4.2 billion downloads.
