Just this past weekend, we reported that Rovio, the Angry Birds developer, was in talks with Sega Sammy, the overarching parent company of Sega, in regard to potential purchase of the former. Well, it apparently didn’t take long because Sega themselves have just announced that they will in fact fully acquire Rovio for approximately $776 million. Sega is hoping that the deal will be completed by the end of September 2023. Sega also mentioned that the Rovio board of directors agreed to the tendered offer, making this a “friendly takeover.” This is slightly less than the initial rumored $1 billion price that was being thrown around on the weekend, making Sega’s buyout a major deal for them.
Sega stated in their press release that acquiring Rovio will allow them to “global expansion of its consumer business through the boost that Rovio will give to its mobile gaming capabilities.” When the deal is completed, Rovio will be fully integrated into Sega Europe, which is the company’s European-based subsidiary which also has Creative Assembly, the Total War studio, in their umbrella. Sega also mentioned in their release that they expect mobile gaming to grow up to 56% of the total video gaming market by 2026 and that Rovio’s long-tenured experience in the field will be key for them going forward. “Rovio’s distinctive know-how in live service mobile game operation to bring Sega’s current and new titles to the global mobile gaming market, where there is large potential, and many users can be accessed,” they said in the press release.
Sega further emphasized support for their new studio by also saying that they would help them expand outside of the mobile market and launch their IPs on other platforms. Judging by Sega’s press release, it appears that the company is more or less going all in on the mobile gaming market, specifically in the next four to five years. Bringing in the developers from Rovio will only boast their overall profile when attempting this venture, and will more than likely benefit greatly from their expertise.