NIBBLERS! The creator of Angry Birds is launching a completely new game - so we spoke to a Rovio exec about the company's plans to turn its fortunes around
In the new game, called Nibblers, a gang of fish climb out of the sea to explore the islands around their watery home, searching for fruit and dodging lizards to advance through 200 levels.
So far, the Finnish company has struggled to replicate the success of its original Angry Birds game. Its 2014 operating profit fell to $10.7 million from $39.1 million in 2013, and $82.3 million in 2012. Its total sales fell 9% last year to $169.6 million.
But Rovio chief commercial officer Alex Lambeek believes that the Angry Birds brand still has some clout left. Angry Birds 2 has had 50 million downloads since launching in July, and the company is also working on a 3D feature film set for release in May 2016.
Besides games, the company sells Angry Birds merchandise and runs Angry Birds theme parks in several countries including Finland, China and Spain. But in response to the last round of layoffs Rovio CEO Pekka Rantala admitted that the company "did too many things," and was planning to "restructure and concentrate its activities around three primary business areas: games, media and consumer products".
What follows is an edited version of Business Insider's interview with Lambeek about the company's plans to streamline its business.
Business Insider: Why is Rovio launching a new intellectual property (IP) now?