Segais reportedly closing in on a deal that could potentially see the company acquiring Rovio, the maker ofAngry Birds. In February, the Finnish developer announced thatRovio had entered sales talksfollowing calls from multiple interested parties. Now it appears the company might have found a suitor in the form of Sega.
Since its release in 2009,Angry Birdshas grown to be one of the biggest mobile games, managing to spawn multiple sequels and movies over the years. More recently, its popularity has led to some interesting turn of events for the developer afterRovio Classics: Angry Birdsgot delisted from some platformsdue to its seemingly negative effect on the rest of Rovio’s gaming portfolio. Fans have largely voiced their opposition to this decision, and it’s unlikely the company will make a quick U-turn. However, its pending new owner might offer some interesting implications.
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According to a new Wall Street Journal report, Japan’s Sega is reportedly getting ready to finalize a deal with Rovio to buy the company. It further mentions that the Tokyo-based company is expected to purchase theAngry Birdsmaker for around $1 billion and the deal might close by early next week. While this isn’t the first forSega, Rovio will mark one of the biggest and most notable acquisitions for the company should the deal materialize.
The news comes mere months afterIsraeli gambling giant Playtika was in talks with Rovioto buy the company at a preliminary bid of €683 million ($750.96 million). At the time, Playtika claimed that adding Rovio’s IP would add “tremendous” shareholder value to the company, particularly with its monetization and logistical capabilities. However, last month Rovio announced that talks with Playtika officially ended. Of course, Playtika wasn’t the only interested company at the time, with analysts pointing to the likes of EA, Take-Two, Sony, Netflix, and Disney as those looking to acquire theAngry Birdsmaker.
So far, neither Sega nor Rovio is yet to share any details on the pending acquisition, though the announcement may be made public soon if it does finalize by next week. Interestingly, the past few years have been an opportune time for Sega, especially withSonic the HedgehogandYakuzafranchises. Now, rumors suggest thatSega might bring back cult classicJet Set Radioas well. Either way, it will be interesting to see what the road ahead looks like for Rovio should it come underSega’s umbrella.
