Is SEGA Buying Angry Birds? | Weekly Respawn
Sega GetS New Wings
SEGA has reportedly agreed to acquire Rovio, the Finnish game developer behind Angry Birds, in a deal worth about $775M. The move is likely part of SEGA’s strategy to strengthen their mobile gaming portfolio. If the deal is successful, it will mark the largest acquisition for SEGA in decades. Gamers can probably expect SEGA to bring us more Angry Birds, seeing as the franchise generates +80% of Rovio’s bookings. It’s worth noting, however, that Rovio has failed so far in matching any new IPs with Angry Birds‘ popularity. Could SEGA’s acquisition precede the creation of their next biggest mobile gaming franchise?
Deck Gaming with Badge-Covered Glasses
Some developments have been made in the Steam Deck community’s mission to bring a decent Windows experience to the device. As it stands, some Steam Deck users choose to install Microsoft’s OS to their Decks in order to play titles currently incompatible with SteamOS. The current process, however, is a tedious operation. A twitter user recently shared their hack-a-thon experiment to tactfully improve that experience. While the user’s demo showed promise, it ultimately may not lead to a finished product. The user was able to reach out to Microsoft, but it’s not yet known if they’ll continue the project. Microsoft reported shortly after that that they’re making plans to bring more ads to Windows 11. The next update will include an increase in ads, now called “badges,” that may pop-up as you explore their OS. Will Windows-gamers on Steam Deck be left in the dust with an objectively worse experience than before?
Tears of the Gamestop Leaker
Nintendo’s vendetta against any and all leakers has struck again, this time affecting the working class. One Gamestop employee shared photos of the next special edition Switch console based on the upcoming Legend of Zelda sequel. While this leaker had not been the first to report on it, they’d been the first to share photo proof. Their method of posting the evidence was, however, their downfall, as it made them easy for Nintendo to track down. Unfortunately it cost the reddit/discord user their job. Nintendo isn’t stopping with just one leaker either- they’re continuing to seek legal action against the person responsible for leaking the Tears of the Kingdom artbook. While some gamers have taken legal risks with Nintendo IPs, perhaps it’s best to avoid doing so altogether.
Tales from the Brick
LEGO Bricktales will soon be leaping from PC to mobile platforms. Unlike other LEGO games, the title features an original story with building-based puzzle mechanics free of pop-culture references. Bricktales’ players are tasked with mastering brick physics across a variety of environments to restore a dilapidated LEGO amusement park. The title received good reviews when it was originally released on PC late last year. Now, mobile-gaming LEGO-enthusiasts will be able to enjoy Bricktales when it arrives on iOS and Android on April 27th.
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