Rovio CEO Pekka Rantala said the company was too eager to explore new business opportunities, adding more personnel than necessary.
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Despite the company’s latest release, Angry Birds 2, achieving over 50 million downloads since its launch at the end of last month, offices in Espoo, London, Stockholm, Shanghai and Tokyo could all be affected. It created a cartoon show based on the Angry Birds characters, and also partnered with major franchises like Star Wars and Transformers to create games – and lines of crossover toys.
Rovio who makes the popular Angry Birds game has announced that it will cut 260 jobs, the company previously cut 110 jobs back in October of past year. These areas are: consumer products, games and media.
Rovio said it was entering a six-week negotiation period with a view of cutting some 230 positions in Finland and 30 more overseas. As the popularity of the games drops, so too could sales of the huge amounts of associated Angry Birds merchandise the firm has licensed.
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Analyst Steve Bailey from IHS Technology said Rovio’s downfall showed how quickly things can turn sour in the fast-paced gaming industry. In an official statement, Rovio revealed that the only workers that are protected from the layoffs are those associated with the upcoming Angry Birds movie. While hitting the 42nd top grossing game in the US certainly isn’t easy, thats not the kind of response a Rovio Angry Birds game is used to. The film, which has been slated for July 2016 release, will feature voice cast Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph and Peter Dinklage.
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