## Developer of Angry Birds

The *Angry Birds* franchise was developed by **Rovio Entertainment**, a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo.

### Company Background
* **Founding:** The company was founded in 2003 by Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen, and Kim Dikert, who were students at the Helsinki University of Technology.
* **Early History:** Originally known as Relude, the company rebranded to Rovio Mobile in 2005 and eventually to Rovio Entertainment in 2011.
* **Ownership:** In 2023, Rovio Entertainment was acquired by the Japanese video game giant **Sega** (specifically the Sega Sammy Group).

### Development of the Original Game
* **Context:** Before the release of *Angry Birds* in 2009, Rovio had developed 51 games for other publishers and was nearing bankruptcy.
* **Inspiration:** The concept was proposed by senior game designer **Jaakko Iisalo**, who created a sketch of stylized, wingless birds. The gameplay mechanics were inspired by the 2009 puzzle game *Crush the Castle*.
* **Release:** *Angry Birds* was released on December 11, 2009, for mobile devices. It became a massive global success, effectively saving the company from financial collapse and establishing it as a major player in the mobile gaming industry.

### Franchise Evolution
Following the success of the original title, Rovio expanded the brand into a massive multimedia franchise. While Rovio developed the majority of the core puzzle games in the series, the franchise has grown to include:
* **Spin-offs:** Titles such as *Bad Piggies* (2012).
* **Crossovers:** High-profile collaborations including *Angry Birds Rio*, *Angry Birds Star Wars*, and *Angry Birds Transformers*.
* **Media:** The brand expanded into animation, consumer products, and feature films, including *The Angry Birds Movie* (2016) and its sequels.