For the past few weeks, Angry Birds developer Rovio has been touting its upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars 2. New features, settings, and dozens of new and updated characters have been teased. While promoting the sequel Rovio even found time to introduce some all-new levels to the original Angry Birds Star Wars. Now, Rovio is proving that it doesn’t abandon its old games by releasing new levels for Angry Birds Space.
The new “Cosmic Crystals” update is now out for Angry Birds Space. The content includes entire “crystal” planets that can break into pieces, destroying their gravity wells in the process. There are 35 new levels in total, including a Space Eagle and Eggsteroids level. Rovio even teased a climactic boss battle against a “crazy mutant Space Pig.”
A short trailer for the new levels has also been released. It shows how the crystalline planets can be broken apart to cause havoc and take on the pigs that sometime hide in them:
Slash of Guns N’ Roses fame is no stranger to video games. The prolific rocker was immortalized in Guitar Hero 3. Now he has officially joined the cast of Angry Birds in its latest interstellar outing.
Rovio announced today that they commissioned Slash to perform a cover of the Angry Birds Space theme after the guitarist professed last year to being a huge fan of the franchise. The cover can be heard in the latest update for the game.
In even better news, Rovio has also created a Slash inspired bird to join the cast of Angry Birds Space. The little guy just might be the coolest avian rocker since Rock-A-Doodle.
Grab the latest update to Angry Birds Space from Google Play, or iOS.
One of the best things about Rovio and the Angry Birds franchise is that even though there are now a handful of Angry Birds games, the developer doesn’t neglect older titles in the series. New levels and features are almost constantly added without the extra charge often associated with add-on content for other games.
Today, Rovio released an update to Angry Birds Space, which some players may have forgotten about in the wake of Angry Birds Star Wars. The new levels are part of the “Pig Dipper” episode (get it?). Water has been added to the planetoids, throwing another complication onto the gravity-well puzzles already seen in the game. From Rovio’s announcement:
Welcome to the Pig Dipper in Angry Birds Space! This bizarre galaxy is filled with water planets, strange aquatic life and worst of all — Bad Piggies in boats! Use the unique physics of these water planets to set up some fun trick shots and send the birds careening through water. And get ready for the ultimate underwater boss level! We’ve also got three brand-new power-ups with their own leaderboards.
Thirty new levels come in the Pig Dipper pack. Some of the new power-ups can be seen in the trailer for the update. They include a Terence (the largest bird) that splits into a flying v of five birds and the ability to make pigs buoyant.
Anyone who has played Angry Birds Space knows that the game contains a satellite that links to a NASA mobile web page that educates kids on the effects of microgravity and that Angry Birds celebrated the landing of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover with Mars-themed levels in Angry Birds space. What may not be known is that NASA and Rovio, the developers of Angry Birds, have teamed up to provide educational programming about space on the web. Just this month, Rovio also announced that it has teamed up with CERN to teach Finnish children about physics through Angry Birds Playground.
Today, Rovio expanded its relationship with NASA by releasing several videos geared towards educating people about the basics of the Curiosity Mars rover mission. The videos cover several aspects of the Curiosity project: It’s landing in Gale Crater, what researchers are hoping to find on the surface of Mars, how the rover is controlled from so far away, and the scientific instruments the rover is carrying with it. Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory provide firsthand knowledge of the project, including Entry, Descent, and Landing Lead Adam Steltzner; Deputy Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada; Rover Driver Vandi Verma Tompkins; and the famously mowhawked Flight Director Bobak Ferdowsi.
The videos are obviously geared toward children, and are sure to be used in science classrooms across the U.S. Still, the information provided should be fascinating to everyone, especially those who haven’t been keeping up with the weekly news and discoveries coming from Curiosity.
“The piggies have hijacked the Curiosity Mars Rover — but instead of searching for ice crystals, they’re looking for eggs! Dodge explosive volcanoes and fire asteroids as you blast through 20 fiery levels! Say hello to the brand new astronaut pig! And find three hidden rovers and landers to open special bonus levels and discover more about the NASA missions!” says Rovio.
The game is not just for entertainment. Rovio worked with NASA to include links to NASA web pages about Mars exploration and other NASA mission inside the game.
“Rovio is teaching huge new audiences about NASA’s missions to Mars thanks to this collaboration,” said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “It’s a great way to introduce both kids and adults to the wonders of the planet in a fun and entertaining way.”
Check out some gameplay from Angry Birds Space: Red Planet while you download the update. It’s currently available on iOS and Android, with other platform support coming soon.
Angry Birds has proven to be a hit among the mobile crowd with its intuitive touch screen controls and charming characters. The console crowd has shown a bit more distaste to the games, however, since they see them as a threat to the console games they know and love. Rovio is going to convince them otherwise later this year.
Speaking to IGN, Rovio’s Executive Vice President of Games Petri Järvilehto announced that consoles will be getting Angry Birds Trilogy later this year. The decision came from fans’ desires to “play the game on their home console with their friends and family.” The trilogy will contain the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio. Unfortunately, Angry Birds Space will not be on the set. I would have loved to see an Angry Birds Quadrilogy set.
So what makes the console version of Angry Birds special compared to the mobile versions? The team at Rovio is building the games from the ground up to take advantage of the HD consoles. Järvilehto says that fans should consider the trilogy as the “ultimate collector’s edition.” He also says to expect “new cinematics, extras and other entertaining content” when the game launches later this year.
The actual game has been improved as well with animated and reactive backgrounds along with fancy new lighting and texture work that will prove to be a delight for the core Angry Birds fan. The game is obviously being targeted as the casual audience that owns a console, but Rovio feels that Angry Birds is a game that “resonates across a wide audience on many platforms.”
You will be able to get Angry Birds Trilogy later this year on Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS. Interestingly enough, each version will take advantage of the special feature each console provides. That means Kinect support on Xbox 360, Move for PS3 and StreetPass on 3DS. I’ve always wondered how Angry Birds would work on Kinect so I can’t wait to try it out.
Rovio, the developers of the wildly popular Angry Birds series of games, announced today that over one billion Angry Birds games have been downloaded. The software developer announced the impressive milestone with a tweet:
The link in the tweet leads to a thank-you video for fans, which you can view below. In the description for the video, Rovio promises even more to come:
Angry Birds games have now been downloaded more than a billion times — THANK YOU to all of our incredible fans! This is only the beginning of our story, keep your eyes peeled for what’s coming up next from Rovio!
The one billion number counts downloads from all of the Angry Birds games, including the original Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio, and the new Angry Birds Space. Pointing out this fact doesn’t take anything away from Rovio’s accomplishment, though. The developer has proven that video games do not have to cater to a hardcore crowd to be successful, that selling games for low prices can still be profitable, and that solid gameplay and level design can easily compete with high-end graphics and game engines.
According to comScore numbers released this month, Rovio ranks 12th in the list of top smartphone properties. Over 25 million players, around one-quarter of all smartphone users, pulled back on their slingshots and let Angry Birds fly this past March. Though Rovio falls just under app gaming’s number one property, Zynga, Rovio has shown that it can create games with staying power. Launched over two years ago, the Angry Birds games are still going strong, while Zynga has seen some of its games’ popularity rise and fall very quickly.
Take a look at the video below and leave a comment to let us know if you still love Angry Birds.
Whether you love it or hate it, Angry Birds is here to stay. I think it’s going to stay that way for a while too after Rovio announced today that the latest game in the franchise, Angry Birds Space, has become the fastest growing mobile game ever.
Angry Birds Space has been downloaded 50 million times over the course of 35 days according to Rovio. It breaks all of their personal records which already set the bar pretty high. It also broke the previous record holder’s, Draw Something, grasp on the title.
Rovio isn’t letting the success go to their heads though. The developer is still focused on “creating fun new experiences that everybody can enjoy.” It seems that Rovio plans to keep this up by releasing new updates to Angry Birds Space over the course of the next few months or even years. It’s the kind of title that can be milked for a long time before players become bored with it.
Of course, what would an announcement like this be without a tease? Rovio says that “something even bigger is on its way!” Do they mean even more Angry Birds Space levels? Maybe an expansion? Perhaps Angry Birds Space Seasons Rio Redux? Whatever it is, Rovio is sure to have more hits coming their way.
Rovio could also be hinting at an entirely new IP. A developer, unless you’re Infinity Ward, can only survive so long on a single IP. People want variety and while Angry Birds Space was a much better game than its predecessor, it still reeks of franchise milking. That can only be bad for players and the developer.
If you’re still new to this Angry Birds thing, you can download the newest game for iOS, Android, PC and Mac. There’s an ad supported version of the game on Android as well if you want to just play it without having to pay $0.99 for the pleasure of flinging space birds at space pigs. Just be sure to download the game from official channels or you might run into some malware.
Today, Angry Birds Developer, Rovio, has announced the release of 10 new levels for the increadibly popular “Angry Birds Space” in an expansion pack titled “Fry Me To The Moon.”
The levels feature many pigs not only on the planets, but they are actually orbiting the planets to make the gameplay extremely difficult. All you have to do is download the update and the levels will be there!
What also came from the update was a new teaser level featuring a pic trying to eat a donut. It says coming soon but the important part is that it says “Free”! Also included in this update is 20 free space eagles! Rovio is also giving out a free space eagle every day! All you have to do is log on!
The update and free levels are for both the iOS and Android operating systems and the update is completely free.
Angry Birds Space has sold over 20 million copies over several operating systems and has become the most successful downloadable game of all time.
Angry Birds Space, the highly popular game from Rovio, has been tearing up the charts on the iPhone, iPad and android devices for over a month now. Well today we finally got the news that it is now available for the Blackberry Playbook!
Angry Birds Space is the first true sequel to one of the most successful games in history. The premis of the game is to kill pigs, but in space! The game incorporates pretty spectacular visuals, which when mixed with the amazing gravity physics, makes for a truly spectacular game!
With sales of this game approaching 30 million, it makes sense for Rovio to put this game on as many platforms as possible. With a WP7 already in the works, it look like they seem to now have all platforms taken care of.
The game is currently available for download on the Blackberry App World for $2.99. What are you waiting for? Go kill some pigs!
Angry Birds Space is really, really popular. Besides its much improved gameplay, it launching simultaneously across all platforms really helps with the download rate. Android getting an ad-supported free version of the game definitely entices players to download the game. You should really watch out which version you download though.
Rovio let everybody know that there’s a fake version of Angry Birds Space for Android floating around in the space of smartphones apps. While Rovio doesn’t go into more detail, security firm Sophos details the malware on their blog. What makes this latest attempt at hacking your phone more dangerous is that it really is the fully-functioning game of Angry Birds Space. To the normal user, nothing would appear out of the ordinary.
Sophos says that the innocuous download contains the Andr/KongFu-L malware. It uses the GingerBreak exploit to gain access to your phone, and installs malicious software. This in turn takes over your phone and turns it into a malware magnet. Not only is it installing harmful software on your phone, but it’s using your 3G/4G connection to do it.
The affected game only comes from unofficial Android markets. The version of the game on the Google Play Store remains totally safe, as does the download from Rovio’s Web site.
I feel that I must remind Android users that the operating system is just like that of a PC. It’s easily hackable and your phone can become part of a mobile botnet if you’re not careful. Pay attention to what you download. There are usually key signs that a file is unsafe including a fake publisher, typos in the app’s description and suspicious file sizes.
Some tips to stay secure include downloading exclusively from the Google Play store. While not every app on the Google Play store is safe, the company has introduced a bot that finds most of the malware on the store and deletes it. Another would be to install anti-virus software on your phone. I recommend Avast for its free, yet powerful set of tools that has kept my phone safe so far with its alerts that a file or app may be unsafe.
On March 22nd, Rovio unleashed the long-awaited next chapter in the Angry Birds saga, Angry Birds Space. The game features similar mechanics to other Angry Birds games that you might have played, but tacks on some new challenges like gravitational fields and new characters like the Ice Bird.
And as expected, it appears that the game is a hit.
Both the Angry Birds and RovioHQ Twitter accounts tweeted this today, announcing that the new game had crossed the 20 million download mark:
Over 20 Million downloads in our first week… That’s a lot of pig popping! #angrybirdsspace
Rovio did quite a bit of viral marketing prior to the game’s release. Between nifty little videos featuring all the game’s bird characters and a partnership with NASA, there was a ton of buzz online right before launch. Plus, it was just the first true sequel to one of the most popular games of the mobile era – so it had that going for it.
Another interesting partnership that the Angry Birds franchise launched with was one with mega-retailer Walmart. It served as Walmart’s first real gaming integration and offered players bonus content with the purchase of select Angry Birds merchandise.
It also appears that players won’t have to wait very long for the game’s first update. They say that it’s “coming soon” and will bring the Space Needle into the gameplay. The fact that Seattle’s Space Needle was turned into a huge slingshot after the launch of the game probably has something to do with this.
After an erroneous report on Bloomberg news that had Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer of the game’s maker, Rovio Entertainment Oy saying that the irrationally popular Angry Birds Space wasn’t coming to the Windows phone 7, the truth comes out! It was learned today that ,
“Angry Birds Space” is confirmed for Windows Phone 7
To make the confusion even worse, Rovio’s official twitter account had this to say, even linking to the Bloomberg report:
This would have been a very big blow to the phone because Angry birds currently has been downloaded 700 million times and is currently the fastest growing game on Facebook.
“We are working towards getting Angry Birds Space to WP7,” Rovio Chief Executive Mikael Hed told Reuters completely destroying any bad news or hurt feelings of the massive amount of WP7 users. “We are working closely together with Nokia to bring our games to their platforms,” Hed said. “Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices.” He didn’t give a release date for the game though.
It was such huge news for Nokia, makers of a WP7 phone, that after the announcement their shares rose 0.6 percent higher to 3.97 euros.
As promised, the first true sequel to Angry Birds is finally available. Angry Birds Space builds upon the first game while offering new gameplay that makes it worthy of being called a true sequel.
The sequel has the familiar birds fighting against the evil pigs that they have been at odds with since the first game. As the name implies though, this time they’re in space. The space motif would probably be enough to satisfy most players, but Rovio decided to shake up the formula a bit.
I’ve had the opportunity to play around with the game since this morning when it launched across all mobile platforms. The first thing I can confirm is that the game is fun. It’s more fun than its predecessor due to a fun gimmick that the first game sorely lacked.
As you might have seen in previews, the game has players launching birds from the same slingshot as before. This time, however, players will have to aim into gravitational fields surrounding the planets that the pigs are on. This allows the birds to circle the planet and perform trick shots if you will. Gravity manipulation is nothing new, but it’s the gimmick Angry Birds needed to stay fresh.
The space setting also allows the game’s visuals to really shine. I was never a fan of the first game’s admittedly boring green grass and blue sky visuals. The moons, planets and stars in the background really make the game stand out.
Angry Birds Space has already received plenty of attention pre-launch with partnerships between the brand and agencies like NASA. Wal-Mart has also jumped on board the Angry Birds craze by offering exclusive levels to those who find clues on the company’s Facebook page and in-store merchandise.
With the all new Angry Birds game, Angry Birds Space, launching on Thursday, players who have completed every single level the Rovio has thrown their way are salivating at the idea of brand new content. And if you want to unlock the first bit of bonus content in the game, you’re going to have to go through Walmart to do it.
Walmart and Rovio have announced their “first retail and gaming integration,” and it involves bonus levels, merchandise, and Facebook. Tomorrow, March 22nd, Walmart will start giving clues to their 13.7 million Facebook fans about how to unlock four bonus levels inside Angry Birds Space. They are calling these clues the “Golden Eggsteroid” clues.
“We wanted to give our fans a unique retail extension to Angry Birds Space that rewards them for their eagle eyes,” said Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer and Mighty Eagle of Rovio Entertainment. “Only Walmart can deliver the reach across America for this type of program and we wish our fans luck as they seek out our hidden clues.”
Indeed, a Rovio / Walmart partnership now feels titanic, something that Rovio could have only dreamed of when their developers launched that first bird into the first pig.
Facebook clues are only one part of the integration. The real mass behind this partnership is on the merchandise side. More clues to unlock content will be hidden in Angry Birds products, available as Walmart. Stuff like plush toys, snacks, and apparel will have secret codes hidden on tags, boxing, or even within the design of the products themselves.
“Walmart is bringing fun back to the shopping experience, with interactive merchandise that brings the best of digital gaming together with in-store retail,” said Seong Ohm, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for entertainment, Walmart U.S. “By partnering with Rovio, we’re able to give millions of avid bird slingers bonus content by coming into our stores and shopping our broad assortment of Angry Birds Space merchandise. This is just one of many exciting partnerships Walmart is forging to give our customers access to exclusive content.”
What do you think about this partnership? Will people buy Angry Birds merch in order to unlock bonus levels in the new game? Let us know in the comments.
The three-year enmity between birds and pigs will soon be played out on a cosmic battleground. In cooperation with NASA, Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, creator of the Angry Birds franchise, formally announced its newest game, “Angry Birds Space,” on Thursday. NASA and Rovio are working together to teach people about physics and space exploration through the internationally successful puzzle game.
Available for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac starting March 22, the new game will take engage players with concepts of human space exploration, including weightlessness and the gravity wells of nearby planets, as the new avian-porcine battleground lends a cosmic twist to the physics of the game’s slingshot-based bombardment. Levels in the new game will be set both on planets and in microgravity.
“This collaboration began with a simple Twitter exchange about birds and pigs in space, and it has grown into a tremendous outreach and education opportunity,” said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This ongoing collaboration with Rovio and Angry Birds is an exciting way to get people engaged with NASA’s missions of exploration and discovery, and get students energized about future careers in science and technology.”
A video exploring the concept of microgravity with the help of Angry Birds characters was shown to a South By Southwest audience this week. In it NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit, currently aboard the International Space Station, uses Angry Birds Space to explain how physics works in space, including demonstrating trajectories in microgravity by catapulting an Angry Bird through the space station. Here it is, in full:
Peter Vesterbacka, chief marketing officer and mighty eagle of Rovio Entertainment, spoke to the games development and the unique experience it offers. “We focused on every detail in development of Angry Birds Space to build a special experience for our fans,” said Vesterbacka, “I believe we have succeeded well with the game, and we wanted to create something as unique around our launch events. NASA has been the perfect partner for our Angry Birds Space program, and we can’t wait to work with them on creating more compelling educational experiences.”
One of the world’s most popular games is getting its first proper sequel.
Rovio announced via its Web site, Angry Birds Space. Not much is known about the game yet besides that it takes place in outer space and it’s launching on March 22.
It does give us the tagline, “One small fling for a bird, one quantum leap for birdkind.”
I was never the biggest fan of Angry Birds, but I like the new design. If they can provide more gameplay to augment the flinging birds out of a slingshot, I’ll be on board with the rest of the populace.
Check out the logo below. I think it’s pretty awesome:
