Angry Birds (video game)

Rovio Entertainment

Industry	Video games
Founded	2003 (2003)
Headquarters	Espoo , Finland
Products	Angry Birds series
Website	www.rovio.com

This article is about the video game. For the franchise, see Angry Birds.

Angry Birds (retrospectively referred to as Angry Birds Classic) is a puzzle video game developed by Rovio Entertainment, originally launched in December of 2009 for iOS and Maemo devices. The concept was largely influenced by a drawing of stylized birds lacking wings and was initially designed for touchscreen interfaces. Within less than a year, by October 2010, the title had sold over twelve million copies through Apple's App Store and Nokia's Ovi Store. This success motivated Rovio to expand Angry Birds across a wide range of mobile platforms as well as home consoles and personal computers by the following year.

The core mechanics of Angry Birds involve players utilizing a slingshot to propel various birds towards green pigs positioned within or atop different structures. The objective is to eliminate all pigs present on each level. Progression unlocks new bird types endowed with unique abilities. Over time, Rovio issued numerous complimentary updates that introduced additional content; furthermore, themed editions such as Angry Birds Seasons, which debuted in 2010, extended the game's universe.

Critically acclaimed and commercially triumphant due to its straightforward yet captivating gameplay, humorous design, and affordable price point, Angry Birds evolved into a widespread cultural phenomenon throughout 2010 and 2011. It is frequently recognized as one of the most outstanding mobile games ever created and ranks among the top video games overall. The title catalyzed the development of the expansive Angry Birds franchise encompassing merchandise based on its characters and feature films including The Angry Birds Movie and its sequel The Angry Birds Movie 2. A direct sequel titled Angry Birds 2 followed in 2015. Collectively, the series has surpassed five billion downloads across all platforms as of April 2022.

In early 2019, the original Angry Birds, along with several related titles from the series, was withdrawn from both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store on Android devices. Subsequently, a remastered version named Rovio Classics: Angry Birds was launched on March 31, 2022, approximately four years after its removal. This remastered edition was delisted from Google Play on February 23, 2023; concurrently on iOS, it was rebranded as Red's First Flight.

Gameplay

File:Angry-Birds-in-Game-Play-1.jpg

A screenshot from gameplay depicting the yellow bird Chuck causing a structure to collapse onto several green pigs in the "Mine and Dine" episode

Angry Birds is a casual puzzle game grounded in physics principles. Players command a variety of colorful birds aiming to recover their eggs, which have been captured by numerous green pigs. Each level features pigs protected by constructions composed of materials such as wood, glass, and stone, resembling toy building blocks. Some pigs are concealed within these structures, while others remain exposed. The player's goal is to eliminate all pigs present on the stage. Utilizing a large slingshot, players launch a limited number of birds either to hit the pigs directly or to damage their protective structures, causing them to collapse and defeat the pigs. The angle and power of each bird's launch are controlled by pulling back on the slingshot, with mobile versions employing intuitive touch controls. Launching is swift and straightforward, without any visible trajectory guides; players select a release point within the X-Y plane behind the slingshot post for firing. Various levels introduce additional elements like TNT crates and rocks integrated into the structures, and players can use power-ups to enhance birds’ abilities to reach difficult targets. Moreover, hidden golden eggs scattered throughout levels unlock bonus stages.

The game features multiple bird species, each identified by distinct colors and shapes. Early levels introduce only the basic desert cardinal, named Red. As players progress, new bird types become accessible. Certain birds are particularly effective against specific materials, and many possess unique abilities that can be triggered mid-flight; for example, Chuck accelerates rapidly, Bomb detonates explosively, the Blues split into three identical birds, Matilda drops explosive eggs, Stella traps objects inside bubbles, Hal boomerangs back by opening his beak, Terence resembles Red but inflicts greater damage, and Bubbles inflates in size. The pigs vary in toughness depending on their size; smaller pigs are more fragile and can be defeated easily either by direct hits or debris from collapsing structures, while larger pigs endure more damage before being eliminated. Some pigs wear helmets or armor that provide additional protection.

Each stage begins with a predetermined number of birds, their types, and firing sequence set. If all birds are used without eliminating every pig still visible on screen, the player fails the level and must retry. Conversely, if all pigs are defeated after the last bird is launched, the level is successfully completed and the next one becomes available. Scores accumulate based on pigs eliminated and damage inflicted upon structures; significant bonus points are awarded for any unused birds remaining at level completion—each unused bird adds 10,000 points. Upon finishing a level, players can earn up to three stars depending on their score. To achieve full mastery and acquire all three stars on any given level, players are encouraged to replay previously completed stages where they initially earned fewer stars.

Development

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Jaakko Iisalo, senior game designer of Angry Birds, pictured at the Game Design Expo 2011

At the start of 2009, Rovio was facing bankruptcy and began reviewing various game concepts. Among these was a proposal by senior game designer Jaakko Iisalo, which featured a mock-up screenshot showcasing some angry-looking birds without visible legs or wings. Although the image did not reveal the gameplay mechanics, the characters themselves were well-received by the team, prompting them to develop a game centered around these birds. The team drew inspiration from popular physics games at the time, including Crush the Castle, influencing their design approach. During development, it became evident that the birds required adversaries. Given the contemporaneous media coverage of the "swine flu", it was widely assumed that the antagonists were pigs due to this association. However, this notion has been challenged; Iisalo later stated that the pig characters were based on sketches he created when he was ten years old.

Angry Birds marked Rovio’s 52nd game production. Initially, its download numbers were modest. The turning point came in February 2010 when it was spotlighted on the UK App Store, quickly ascending to the No. 1 position. By mid-2010, it had also claimed the top spot on the US paid apps chart and maintained that rank for 275 days. Development expenses for Angry Birds were estimated to exceed €100,000, excluding costs related to later updates. For distribution on iOS devices, Rovio collaborated with Chillingo, which handled publication through the App Store. Chillingo contributed to final refinements such as implementing visible trajectory indicators, enabling pinch-to-zoom, adding pigs’ vocalizations, and animating birds performing flips onto the slingshot.

When adapting Angry Birds for other platforms, new challenges emerged. While developing an Android version, the team encountered a wide variety of device models and Android OS versions, resulting in far more hardware and software combinations than on iOS. To address this fragmentation, they defined a minimum set of compatibility requirements, though this excluded nearly 30 Android phone models from running the game, including some recent releases. The Android version launched on October 15, 2010. One month after its release, Rovio began creating a lite edition tailored for additional devices.

In early 2010, development commenced on a Facebook adaptation of Angry Birds, which became one of Rovio’s most extensive projects, requiring over a year to complete. The company recognized the complexities involved in translating a game experience across different platforms. In a March 2011 interview, Rovio’s Peter Vesterbacka emphasized that successful mobile titles must be designed specifically for their platform rather than simply ported from other ecosystems. The Facebook edition integrated social gaming features and in-app purchases, entering beta testing in April 2011; it officially launched on February 14, 2012 as Angry Birds Facebook, later rebranded as Angry Birds Friends.Template:Fix/category

Subsequent enhancements included cross-device progress synchronization, allowing players to continue their game status seamlessly between devices—for instance, completing levels on an Android phone and accessing identical progress on an Android tablet.

Release

The game's initial iOS edition was initially soft launched in Finland on December 1, 2009, followed by a global release ten days later. This first version featured a single episode titled "Poached Eggs," which comprised three themed chapters, each containing 21 levels. Over time, Rovio has issued complimentary updates that introduced new content, including additional levels, fresh in-game items, and even new bird characters. These updates have been integrated into the comprehensive version available for download on various platform app stores.

The inaugural update arrived on February 11, 2010, bringing a new episode named "Mighty Hoax," which included two chapters with 21 levels apiece. Subsequent updates on April 6, 2010, introduced the "Golden Eggs" feature—hidden collectibles scattered throughout the game unlocking bonus content—and a new episode called "Danger Above," initially offering one chapter with 15 levels, launched on April 23 as version 1.3.0. Further enhancements released in versions 1.3.2 (May 18, 2010) and 1.3.3 (June 22, 2010) expanded "Danger Above" by adding two additional chapters of 15 levels each. The episode "The Big Setup," arriving on July 16, 2010, as version 1.4.0, contributed a new chapter with 45 levels plus extra Golden Egg challenges.

In celebration of the game's first anniversary on the iOS App Store, the fifth episode titled "Ham 'Em High" was launched on December 23, 2010. This installment featured a single chapter of 15 levels inspired by the American Old West theme. Updates released on February 4 and March 17, 2011, each added an additional chapter of 15 levels to this episode. "Ham 'Em High" also debuted the Mighty Eagle—a special bird usable once every hour to clear any unfinished level. Players could also employ the Mighty Eagle in previously completed stages without time restrictions to engage in a mini-game called "Total Destruction," aiming to demolish as much scenery as possible using both standard birds and the Mighty Eagle; achieving total destruction rewarded players with a Mighty Eagle feather for that level.

During 2011, the Mighty Eagle became available as a one-time in-app purchase initially exclusive to iOS users due to their pre-linked credit card accounts via iTunes. Rovio began testing an Android update named "Bad Piggy Bank" in partnership with Elisa wireless in Finland and T-Mobile, enabling users to charge purchases like the Mighty Eagle directly to their mobile phone bills. This functionality officially launched on Android with version 2.2.0 in August 2012 through Google Play’s transaction system, which supports both mobile billing and credit card payments—allowing access on Android smartphones and WiFi-only tablets alike. This update also incorporated power-ups from the Facebook edition and introduced an option for Android players to remove ads for an ad-free experience similar to that of iOS users.

The sixth episode, "Mine and Dine," was released on June 16, 2011, featuring 15 mining-themed levels alongside a new Golden Egg. Additional updates followed: one on July 25 adding another set of 15 levels and another on August 25 concluding "Mine and Dine" with its final batch of 15 levels.

To mark the second anniversary of the original iOS launch, the seventh update titled "Birdday Party" arrived on December 11, 2011. It included fifteen birthday cake-themed stages along with refreshed graphics and elements borrowed from spin-off titles—such as the scoring display from Angry Birds Rio and the introduction of Bubbles, an orange bird previously seen in Angry Birds Seasons. This update was subsequently made available for Android and Microsoft Windows platforms.

The eighth update debuted first on iOS on March 20, 2012, ahead of Angry Birds Space release. It featured an animated tutorial, improved gameplay mechanics, a redesigned user interface, and introduced the first fifteen levels of "Surf and Turf," an episode originally exclusive to Angry Birds Facebook players. A subsequent addition of fifteen more levels arrived on August 2, alongside power-ups first seen in the Facebook version.

On October 9, 2012, the final chapter of "Surf and Turf" launched together with a new episode entitled "Bad Piggies," created to promote its namesake spin-off game. Another update commemorating the third anniversary occurred on December 11, delivering fifteen new levels each for both "Birdday Party" and "Bad Piggies." The second set of fifteen stages in "Birdday Party" introduced Stella—the pink bird—to the roster. The concluding fifteen levels for "Bad Piggies" were released on March 7, 2013.

Coinciding with this final release day for "Bad Piggies," Angry Birds was featured as Apple App Store’s “Free App of the Week” until March 14, resulting in a surge up the Top Free App charts until it returned to its standard price of $0.99 on March 18.

A significant update rolled out on July 22, 2016, introducing the Mighty League—a competitive side mode where players vie against others’ scores to advance through ranking leagues.

Ports

Following its debut on the Nokia N900 multimedia Internet device and Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, Rovio expanded Angry Birds availability to numerous other platforms. In April 2010, an iPad-exclusive edition titled Angry Birds HD was launched alongside the iPad device. By August 2010, the game became accessible on the Palm Pre smartphone running Palm's webOS via the App Catalog store. Subsequently, in October 2010, a version for Symbian^3 phones was introduced, initially featuring only the "Poached Eggs" and "Mighty Hoax" episodes.

Rovio announced in May 2010 that it was developing an Android version of Angry Birds, with a beta released on the Android Market (now Google Play) in September 2010. The complete Android release first appeared on GetJar in October 2010, followed shortly by a launch on Android Market. Rovio highlighted GetJar's broader international reach and its presence on multiple smartphone platforms (including Symbian) as advantageous for cross-platform marketing. Unlike earlier versions, the Android edition was distributed free with advertisements, due to paid apps being unavailable in some regions. An update named "Bad Piggy Bank" later allowed users to purchase an ad-free experience.

In October 2010, Microsoft implied on its website that a Windows Phone version of Angry Birds was underway. Rovio objected, stating that no commitment had been made at that time and requested Microsoft to remove references from its site. Ultimately, a Windows Phone version launched in June 2011.

Plans to release Angry Birds for the Nintendo DSi as a DSiWare title and for the Wii as a WiiWare game were cancelled, likely due to the impending launch of the Nintendo 3DS with its glasses-free 3D feature in 2011. However, the game later appeared in Angry Birds Trilogy for various consoles including the newer platform.

Toward the end of 2010, Rovio announced development of additional ports targeting non-mobile devices. In January 2011, three such versions were released. Sony introduced Angry Birds as a PlayStation mini for its PlayStation Portable, featuring nearly 200 levels from the original game; this version is also compatible with PlayStation 3. Around the same time, Rovio launched a Windows edition exclusively through the Intel AppUp center on January 4, 2011, including 195 levels and planned unique features not present in mobile versions. The following day coincided with the launch of the Mac App Store, which offered its own Angry Birds port. Additionally, ports for the Wii and Nintendo DS systems were considered, with the former materializing via Angry Birds Trilogy. A version enhanced with 3D graphics was projected for release on the LG Optimus 3D in October 2011.

The widespread appeal of Angry Birds facilitated its expansion onto devices not originally intended for gaming. For instance, Barnes & Noble announced that an upcoming update would enable apps like Angry Birds on its Android-based Nook Color e-reader. In June 2011, Rovio partnered with Roku to bring a version of Angry Birds to the Roku 2 XS set-top box running Roku OS.

In May 2011, a beta HTML5 iteration of Angry Birds was released for web browsers supporting WebGL or Canvas technologies. Distributed through the Chrome Web Store, it runs on any compatible browser and offers exclusive content when played via Chrome, including unique levels and special "Chrome Bombs." This edition supports offline play and delivers smooth gameplay at 60 frames per second with adjustable graphics settings to suit various hardware configurations.

During Nokia World 2011 in October, it was revealed that Nokia's Asha series of Series 40 touch phones would come preloaded with Angry Birds, targeting emerging markets such as India, China, and South Africa. In December 2011, Rovio released HD versions of Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by Research In Motion. The game also became available for devices running Bada OS in January 2012.

On February 13, 2012, Angry Birds launched publicly on Facebook in beta form, later renamed Angry Birds Friends as of May 23, 2012. This Facebook iteration included two original chapters plus an exclusive "Surf and Turf" chapter at launch. It introduced new power-ups—limited to two per level—such as Power Potion (which enlarges birds) and King Sling (which strengthens slingshot performance). These power-ups could be purchased or gifted by friends playing the game. The "Surf and Turf" chapter eventually became part of mobile versions starting with iOS. Weekly friend tournaments were featured on Facebook, where top performers earned free "Bird Coins" usable to acquire power-ups. A special Green Day-themed episode was added to this version in August 2012 but removed by December that year.

At E3 2012 in Los Angeles, Rovio and distributor Activision announced plans to bring Angry Birds, along with spin-offs Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio, to consoles including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS. Packaged as Angry Birds Trilogy, these editions were tailored to their respective platforms, incorporating features like support for PlayStation Move, Kinect, high-definition displays, and glasses-free stereoscopic visuals. Nearly a year later, Trilogy was also released on the Wii and Wii U.

A motion-controlled adaptation was introduced as an app for Samsung Smart TVs.

On April 28, 2015, it was announced that Angry Birds had been made available on Tizen smartphones by utilizing OpenMobile's Application Compatibility Layer (ACL) emulation technology.

Removal and re-release

During 2019, multiple titles within the franchise, including the original game, were suddenly withdrawn from both the App Store and Google Play without prior notice. Enthusiasts of the initial release rallied behind the social media movement using the hashtag "#BringBack2012" to advocate for reinstating the delisted games. Addressing these concerns, Rovio issued a blog statement explaining that the removals were due to issues such as software rot and the lapse of licensing agreements. On March 31, 2022, Rovio launched a refreshed edition of the original title named Rovio Classics: Angry Birds, targeting its long-time supporters. This version recreates the game’s 2012 iteration but replaces its original engine with Unity to ensure functionality on modern and forthcoming devices. Notably, this remake eliminates microtransactions and intrusive ads, opting instead for a conventional monetization approach.

In February 2023, Rovio declared that Rovio Classics: Angry Birds would be removed from Google Play and retitled Red's First Flight on the App Store. The company attributed these changes to concerns about "the game's impact on [their] wider games portfolio," citing reduced revenue generated by other existing Angry Birds titles.

Reception

Template:Video game reviews Critics have widely commended Angry Birds. Chris Holt from Macworld described it as "an addictive, clever, and challenging puzzler," while Keith Andrew of Pocket Gamer praised it as "a nugget of puzzling purity dished out with relish aplenty." Jonathan Liu of Wired News noted that "aiming for the highest star rating significantly enhances replayability in what is already a substantial game."

Versions designed for non-touchscreen platforms such as PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and Windows also garnered favorable feedback, although opinions varied regarding their control schemes. Will Greenwald from PC Magazine, reviewing the PlayStation Network edition, commented that while controls were adequate on these systems, they lacked the satisfaction found in smartphone touch controls; he also criticized the PlayStation 3 graphics as appearing "blocky and unpleasant," resembling an upscaled smartphone display. In contrast, Greg Miller of IGN favored the PSP's analog controls for their subtle precision compared to touchscreen input. Despite his overall positive impression, Miller suggested improvements such as enhanced visuals, pricing adjustments, and smoother gameplay. British site Electric Pig’s Damien McFerrin highlighted advantages of mouse-based controls in the PC edition over finger-driven input.

However, some criticism arose from Chris Schiller of Eurogamer, who found the game's rules difficult to comprehend and accused it of maintaining a frustrating experience that keeps players engaged just enough to prevent them from quitting.

In February of 2010, Angry Birds became the highest-selling paid app on Apple's UK App Store, followed shortly after by reaching number one on the US store, maintaining this position until October that year. By September of the same year, over eleven million downloads had been recorded for its free limited version on iOS devices alone; meanwhile nearly seven million copies of the complete paid version had been purchased. The Android launch saw more than one million downloads within twenty-four hours, despite causing temporary site outages due to heavy traffic,<ref>), with total downloads surpassing two million over its opening weekend.<ref>). The free Android version generates around US$1 million monthly through advertising revenue.<ref name="Symbian">)

By May of twenty twelve,, Rovio reported that players collectively spent over five million hours daily playing across all platforms,, with monthly active users reaching two hundred million.<ref name="TNW-1B">. In November twenty ten,, Digital Trends characterized Angry Birds as "one of the most mainstream games currently available," boasting thirty-six million downloads. A video game news blog by MSNBC stated that "[n]o other game app comes close" in terms of popularity.<ref name="msnbc">. The Christian Science Monitor has described Angr--Birds as "one of the great runaway hits of twenty ten." In December twenty ten,, marking one year since release,, Rovio Mobile announced fifty million total downloads worldwide,, including over twelve million on iOS devices, and ten million on Android.<ref name="TCEurope">). By January twenty fourteen,, cumulative downloads across all titles in the series — including Angr--Birds, Angr--Birds Seasons, Angr--Birds Rio, Angr--Birds Space, Angr--Birds Star Wars, Angr--Birds Star Wars II, and Angr--Birds Go! — had reached two billion.<ref name="EDGE-2B">). On Christmas Day twenty eleven alone , six point five million copies across all supported platforms were downloaded.<ref>

Within Apple’s App Store history , Angr -- Birds holds the record for most days at number one in Paid Apps , topping charts for a total of two hundred seventy-five days ; meanwhile , its spin-off Angr -- Birds Rio ranked ninth with twenty-three days at number one .<ref></ ref > In Apple’s “iTunes Rewind” list for popular media in two thousand eleven , Angr -- Birds was both the best-selling paid app for iPhone/iPod and had its free version ranked fourth most downloaded .< ref name =" KSAT " > < / ref > The special editions ‘’ Angr -- Birds Seasons’’ and ‘’ Angr -- Birds Rio’’ also ranked within top ten paid apps for iPhone/iPod , while ‘’ Angr -- Birds HD’’ versions exclusive to iPad led sales and downloads among iPad apps throughout that year .< ref name =" KSAT " />

Awards

In February 2010, Angry Birds received a nomination for the "Best Casual Game" category at the sixth International Mobile Gaming Awards held in Barcelona, Spain. Later that year, in September 2010, IGN ranked Angry Birds as the fourth greatest iPhone game ever created. By April 2011, the game secured both "Best Game App" and "App of the Year" honors at the UK Appy Awards. Additionally, at the 2011 Webby Awards, Angry Birds earned the title of "Best Game for Handheld Devices."

During the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards—currently known as the D.I.C.E. Awards—Angry Birds HD won the award for "Casual Game of the Year" and was also nominated for "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming" as well as "Game of the Year." This marked a milestone as it became the first mobile app to receive a nomination in the "Game of the Year" category at this event.

Sequels and spin-offs

Template:Main article The Angry Birds franchise expanded with several sequels and spin-off titles. The initial spin-off, Bad Piggies, launched on September 27, 2012. Following this, in 2015, a direct sequel named Angry Birds 2 was introduced, bringing two new avian characters to the roster: Silver, a Peale's falcon, and Melody, a potoo.

See also

• The Angry Birds Movie