Press Release
Rovio Entertainment’s worldwide multimedia sensation Angry Birds™, is the newest property to join the IDW Publishing family! Beginning in June, the playfully fun adventures that took the world by storm will explode onto the page in the boundless world of comics.
The immense success of Angry Birds began in2009 when the mobile game debuted. With 2 billion downloads through apps, the Angry Birds franchise has now been featured in nine different editions of the game, a number of successful toy lines, an animated series and is in development as a feature length film to be distributed by Sony Pictures. The innovative game solidified a market of casual gamers in the changing landscape of mobile devices.
“We’re very happy to be in business with Rovio on Angry Birds comics,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “Rovio has taken what was once a captivating game and built it into an interesting world filled with interesting and, uh, feathered characters who will make a perfect addition to our growing line of fun, all-ages comics.”
The world of Angry Birds has already expanded beyond its initial gameplay, with popular characters such as Red, Chuck, Bomb, Stella, Matilda, King Pig and many other colorful and delightful personalities inhabiting the Piggie Island and forming the basis for an unending series of adventures.
The partnership between IDW and Rovio provides a relationship greater than just a license as Rovio has applied their unique creative vision towards the comic adaptation of Angry Birds. Enlisting top talent from across the comics industry, such as Jeff Parker (Thunderbolts) and Eisner Award-winning writer Paul Tobin (Bandette), Angry Birds captures the fun and originality of the game itself.
“The Angry Birds comics are a perfect way of getting to know the characters, their personalities, and their world more closely. I hope that readers of all ages will have fun with these comics by top-notch creators,” said Jukka Heiskanen, Rovio’s Editor-In-Chief of Comics.
The upcoming comics from IDW will be one way to experience the sensational series in print! Look for more announcements in the coming months, and prepare to bash some green piggies this summer!
About Rovio Entertainment
Rovio Entertainment Ltd is an industry-changing entertainment media company headquartered in Finland, and the creator of the globally successful Angry Birds™ characters franchise. Angry Birds, a casual puzzle game, became an international phenomenon within a few months of its release. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly into multifaceted entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand. Rovio’s animated Angry Birds feature film is slated for July 1, 2016. www.rovio.com
About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s Star Trek; Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; 2000AD’s Judge Dredd; The Rocketeer; Toho’s Godzilla; Wizards of the Coast’s Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons; and the Eisner-Award winning Locke & Key series, created by best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio, and the multiple award-winning Artist’s Edition imprint.
IDW’s critically- and fan-acclaimed series are continually moving into new mediums. Currently, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and Disney are creating a feature film based on World War Robot; Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Warner Brothers are producing a film based on Ashley Wood’s Lore; Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes and Sony are bringing Zombies vs. Robots to film, Kurtzman/Orci are producing a movie based on Locke & Key at Universal.
