Rovio Entertainment builds brands to last 100 years! We have a bold vision for the future and that’s what makes our Consumer Products Licensing business so exciting. Each year we work to create more ways to delight fans through cool new products.

We began as a small startup in 2003 and hit the big leagues in 2009 with our Angry Birds mobile game, fi rmly establishing ourselves in record books and pop culture, but we’re not taking the success for granted. Our Consumer Products Licensing, Publishing, Animation and Activity Parks businesses have extended our brand experience to fans worldwide.

At Rovio, we are constantly pushing boundaries of content delivery. Whether it’s the industry changing ToonsTV platform or innovative TELEPODS products developed with Hasbro, we are always looking for new ways bring our brands to the market, bridging the digital and the physical experience and encouraging imagination and fun. This Autumn is action-packed! Our consumer-focused lineup includes Angry Birds Stella, Angry Birds Transformers and new animated series coming out in November. We can’t wait to ruffl e feathers with Stella merchandise! Angry Birds Stella is a bold and inclusive brand that expands the Angry Birds universe with new characters, story and adventures and gives us an opportunity to do more in different product categories. The brand is all about fun, challenging gameplay that resonates with the offbeat attitude of Angry Birds. Stunning new visuals and engaging themes of friendship, strong personalities, empowerment and adventure are all in the mix. Angry Birds Transformers is another milestone in a successful collaboration with Hasbro and will also be supported by TELEPODS products. Our brands, products and platforms tell the story and that is what makes Rovio a genuine entertainment company with a storytelling heart - always looking to delight our audiences. With 3 billions views, ToonsTV proved that fans love to see our brands on screen and we listened: In 2016 we release the fi rst Angry Birds movie and

bring the beloved characters to the big screen. Who’s ready for the spotlight? With so much exciting content in the pipeline, we’ve strengthened our Consumer Products Licensing team with industry mighties across key markets that will ensure our brands reach consumers through the highest quality products. We are working hard to support our licensees and to build successful, lasting partnerships. We welcome you to become a part of our story, the awesome brand lineup we’ve got this Autumn and our exciting plans for the future. I look forward to seeing you at BLE 2014! Naz CuevasEVP for Global Consumer Products Licensing

Presented byPresented by

toyworldThe business magazine with a passion for toys

Rovio Entertainment is reinforcing its Consumer Products Licensing unit with seasoned professionals starting with Naz Cuevas, promoted to Executive Vice President of Global Consumer Products Licensing.

“Naz Cuevas joined Rovio in 2012 and has done an outstanding job of focusing and developing our consumer licensing products line. She has lead innovation through the integration of the digital and physical worlds and most importantly ensured that our products continue to offer enormous delight to our fans,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio.

Randi Spieker has joined as VP of Licensing and Retail for North America. Randi has over 20 years experience in the licensing industry, was formerly VP of Licensing at

Hybrid/Jem, and has played key roles at Mattel Consumer Products and Paramount Pictures Consumer Products. Randi has a proven track record in retail and will be building a strong retail and account management team for this territory, with a special focus on softlines, fashion collections, activewear and trend categories.

Joe Lawson has joined as VP of Licensing and Retail for Asia Pacific & Latin America. With over 19 years experience in the entertainment industry, Joe was formerly Head of International Promotions at DreamWorks Animation and spent 12 years at 20th Century Fox Consumer Products overseeing countless promotional partnerships for The Simpsons and other titles. Joe will be expanding Rovio’s international markets while also

strengthening the current licensing agents in his territories, with a special focus on promotional activations.

Paul Bufton has joined the flock as VP of Licensing and Retail for EMEA. Paul arrives from Warner Bros. Consumer Products UK. With over 18 years experience in the Consumer Products industry, he is an executive with an established reputation for delivering strategic marketing and licensing initiatives on high profile properties such as DC Comics, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, Fisher-Price, Lego and Star Wars. Paul will be building a strong retail and sales team for this territory, with a special focus on hardlines, collectibles, and sporting goods while also playing a crucial role in the Hasbro partnership.

From games and books to clothing - product branding of Angry Birds continues to spread its wings

Rovio Entertainment and Hasbro www.hasbro.comAngry Birds Stella TELEPODS Tree house playset gameKnock the pesky piggies away to get in and play with the Tree House Playset Game! The Angry Birds Stella toys capture all the fun of the popular online app. Just download the app and play with the Angry Birds Stella Telepods!

Angry Birds Transformers Optimus Prime Bird FigureBlast into awesome Angry Birds fun with a Transformers twist! The Angry Birds Transformers Telepods put you in charge of your own bird-on-pig battles. And what could be better than high-flying birds and villainous pigs re-imagined as Transformers characters?

Angry Birds Transformers Bumblebee Bird Blast launcherThis Bumblebee Bird Blast launcher captures the fun of Transformers characters re-imagined as high-flying birds and villainous pigs. Your Bumblebee bird figure converts from figure mode to speedy racer mode. It’s easy to scan your Telepod figure into the Angry Birds Transformers app.

New Licensing team appointments

Plunder Pirates

Plunder Pirates is the latest installation of the Rovio Stars series, and the very first combat strategy game of the bunch. Players must plunder or be #Plundered!

Launched worldwide for iOS in September, the game revolves around building a 3D island, recruiting and training a crew to explore uncharted waters and PLUNDER!

Whilst joining a Guild or training pirates, players can use the PlunderCam™ technology to swivel around the graphics in 360 degrees to see their island from, literally, every corner. The game has full Metal graphics support from Apple’s iOS8 so the finest details can be viewed in all their visual glory.

in the beginning

2003

20052005

Throughout the history of video games, there are few titles that have managed to expand beyond the gaming arena to become pop culture sensations in their own right. Fewer still are the games that have achieved this recognition to such a degree that they embed themselves in the popular imagination and come to help defi ne the zeitgeist.

Angry Birds is very much one of these games, and yet, it’s even more than that. It’s a genuine phenomenon. Released in December 2009, it reached the number one spot in the United States within six months. It seemed as if everyone was playing it, gripped by an addiction to get just the right trajectory, to sling those birds from the slingshot and destroy those darned pigs, who snorted mischievously at the end of every failed attempt. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter hummed with excitement—and enthused frustration—generated by a true gaming sensation.

Rovio Entertainment was fi rst established in 2003 under the name Relude and is based in west of Helsinki. The company was formed by three university friends, Niklas Hed, Jarno Väkeväinen, and Kim Dikert, following their victory in a mobile game development competition.

The company was renamed Rovio in January 2005 following a signifi cant investment from Niklas Hed’s uncle Kaj Hed, who is now Rovio’s Chairman of the Board. “The convention early on was: You launch a game, and then a new game, and then the next,” recalls Niklas Hed of Rovio’s beginnings. “Back then to update a game would’ve been too expensive. Basically it was a product-driven, not service-driven business. Reaching the customers in a cost-effective way was very diffi cult. Our hit games were selling on average about fi ve hundred thousand to one million—but we had lots of games that were not selling. The whole strategy was to create niche games for core gamers on mobile platforms which didn’t work long-term.”

Before the arrival of Angry Birds, Rovio had released over fi fty mobile game titles. “If you look at those games,” notes Niklas Hed, “the average critical rating was around 80 percent. There were very few other developers who had that rate of quality. It has always been in Rovio’s DNA that, if we develop something, it better be good!”

2007

2009

2012

Extracts from: Angry Birds Hatching A Universe, written by Danny Craydon. Titan Books.

2012

A defi ning development for Rovio came with the release of Apple’s revolutionary iPhone in 2007. “We speculated on what the next big development would be, and even then we were unsure about it. That was the key moment for Rovio,” Niklas recalls. “We had twelve people and felt that we could do something that could change the world if we were clever enough.”

The genesis of Angry Birds can be traced to early 2009 when Rovio was reviewing proposals for new games. Jaakko Iisalo, then a Senior Game Designer at Rovio, presented a single screenshot of a group of angry-looking birds with no wings or legs. Despite there being no indication of what the game would be about or what the birds would be doing, the enthusiastic response from Iisalo’s colleagues prompted the decision to develop a game from the picture alone. “In that original concept image,” recalls Niklas Hed, “we saw the spark, the mood, the attitude that we needed. It was not just pink and fl uffy.”

Circumstantially, the development of Angry Birds came at a critical time for Rovio, Mikael Hed recalls. “By mid-2009 our games catalog was generating virtually zero revenue,” he says.“By the time we released Angry Birds in late 2009, we were in a very desperate situation.” A situation so desperate that Mikael’s father, Kaj, offered to remortgage his parents’ home in a last-ditch effort to aid Rovio, a prospect that justifi ably worried

Mikael intensely. “At the very least this game would have to make enough money to ensure my grandparents weren’t out on the street!” he says. “I simply wasn’t ready to take that bet and pleaded with my father to not do it. He went ahead and did it anyway—one of the few times that I was grateful for an irrational decision. Thanks to that money, we were able to keep going and get Angry Birds off to a good start—and here we are today!”

Released to widespread critical acclaim and tremendous sales, Angry Birds has since achieved some genuinely startling statistics: Angry Birds is the most downloaded app of all time in Apple’s App Store, and as of May 2012, there have been a combined billion downloads of Angry Birds games on various platforms.

Impressively, since its initial release Angry Birds has spectacularly achieved its goal of becoming a brand—one that has ascended with the dizzying trajectory of a bird fi red from a slingshot. In the space of just three years, the original game has generated no less than four direct sequels, two spin-o- s based on hot Hollywood properties, an animated series, and an array of books. Not to mention high-profi le collaborations with internationally renowned brands, a vast merchandising line that encompasses tens of thousands of products, and an animated feature fi lm in the works.

Hatching the grand plan

In 2009, Jaakko Iisalo, then a Senior Game Designer at Rovio, presented a single screenshot of a group of angry-looking birds with no wings or legs giving flight to development of a new game.

The initial screenshot included the yellow-beaked, heavy browed red bird that would come to define the whole brand. Red was the icon from the start who played a key role in developing all the Angry Birds characters. He emerged as the angriest bird of all and the natural leader even though he had no powers like the other birds.

Red is a father figure to the other birds and only when the eggs have hatched, will he forget his responsibilities and relax into a more carefree character. His red colour, the colour of anger, played a big part in the marketing of the Angry Birds universe and Red has become the focus of the Angry Birds merchandising.

Red may well be the star of Angry Birds but he’s supported in his battle with the Bad Piggies by a multi-coloured flock of vivid characters including Bomb, with his explosive personality; Matilda, the earth mother; Jim, Jake and Jay, the inseparable kids and Mighty Eagle,

the biggest of all Angry Birds.

Then there was the Angry Birds world to create – the detailed universe that was brought bursting into life and where the birds could thrive. With its striking central mountain shaped like the head of a pig, Piggy Island is separated into environments in which the Angry Birds adventures take place. It is designed to reflect elements of just about every location in the real world featuring a natural landscape bearing all kinds of climates from desert to glacial.

Mikko Pöllä, Rovio’s Creative Director in Entertainment, was responsible for what stories are told about the universe, who the characters are, and how their personalities are expressed in different products. Pöllä - first worked with Rovio as anexternal creator and writer on the animation series Angry Birds Toons, where he was asked to create a “Series Bible,” which would document all aspects of the Angry Birds universe. This eventually led to him joining the team at Rovio full time.

The fifty-two-episode Angry Birds Toons is one of the primary arenas for fans to learn of the wider world of Angry Birds. “In the beginning of the story process,” says Pöllä, “we were designing story arcs with elaboration about the birds’ history, but after writing a couple of scripts, we came to the conclusion that it was better to stay in the present and focus on the fixed conflict between the birds and the pigs. To us, this is the right way to introduce their characters and personalities.”

However, despite this concerted drive to provide depth and detail to the Angry Birds world, Pöllä doesn’t feel that the lovable simplicity of the brand will be diminished in any way. “With the Toons, for example, each and every episode has to be understandable, funny, and entertaining, even if you have not played the games,” he says.

“Likewise, each and every book or other entertainment product we publish has to work on its own. We want to create great products for different mediums and, in time, this builds up the universe. Also, we’ll learn what the best mediums are to tell Angry Birds stories.”

Above all, Pöllä and his colleagues are keenly aware that they have a fan base they have to delight and surprise: “Our fans know what the characters are like. We have a great basic dynamic—a fun conflict with characters with real personalities— but it’s important that we know how they will fit into new stories.”

Extracts from: Angry Birds Hatching A Universe, written by Danny Craydon. Titan Books.

Jaakko Iisalo, was a Senior Game Designer at Rovio when he presented a single screenshot of a group of angry-looking birds with no wings or legs. It was to become the genesis of Angry Birds and launched development work for a new game.

“Initially, Rovio’s management wasn’t entirely sure about the notion of a game with the birds,” says Iisalo, now Rovio’s Creative Director, “so we researched web gaming and discerned what was really popular at that time. We realized that 2D, physics-based games and artillery-based games were very popular. So, we decided that these would be the areas we would focus on, utilizing the bird characters.”

There would be a crucial difference to the development of this particular game, however, according to Iisalo: “We made a list of parameters to adhere to in creating Angry Birds, and from the very beginning, the idea was to make a big IP. Not just a game, but something much bigger: a brand—something that can be built on.” Yet, simplicity and accessibility were the driving forces: “That was the core idea: to make something simple that everyone could enjoy. That’s what we have always focused on—but maintaining a simple concept is not a simple task!”

The game’s success remains something of a shock to Iisalo. “The evolution of Angry Birds is hard to grasp,” he says. “I don’t really know what to think about it all! I understand that I created it, but when you think about a billion downloads—it’s crazy!”

A self-confessed “hard-core gamer,” Iisalo worked as a Graphic Designer prior to joining Rovio and making the transition to Game Designer. He recalls that his initial idea for Angry Birds came at a tumultuous time for Rovio: “We had a really small team and simply set out to make the best game we could. We had the opportunity to make one more game—it really was a make-or-break situation.”

Jaakko was also responsible for creating the Angry Birds antagonists, the rather porky pigs that are constantly battling with the birds. “I’ve always drawn a lot of animal characters and it was just something natural that came out in my initial sketches,” said Iisalo.

“The birds are the aggressive side, the pigs are just mischievous,” he says. In the beginning, I felt the pigs were the gentle side of the game. They just can’t help themselves!”

In the wake of Angry Birds’ worldwide success, Iisalo now occupies the position of Creative Director of the Games Department at Rovio: “For me, the games are the most important part, but I don’t think it should be like that for everybody. The company has taken Angry Birds in so many di-fferent directions.”

With a view to the future, Iisalo is well aware of what fuels a good project. “We need to be excited,” he says. “If I’m making a game, I’m making it for myself. I don’t just want to repeat myself; I want to see something new. If it’s exciting to me, then I think it will be exciting for others as well. We just need to maintain that state of mind when creating new things.”

Interview extract from Angry Birds Hatching A Universe, written by Danny Craydon. Titan Books.

Artists’ Interview Toni Kysenius, Brand Art DirectorTony joined Rovio in 2011 as Lead Artist for the games unit and was involved in prototyping new game ideas which eventually became Angry Birds Space.

He recalls: “Making Angry Birds Space was like having a child: it took nine months to make from start to fi nish.”

Bringing a game like this to life goes through a highly creative and lengthy process as Toni outlined: “It takes months to prototype game play ideas, play around with a different look and feel and balance the game content and then you try to match game production schedules with consumer product lead times.

“Syncing games, consumer products, licensing, marketing, animations and public stunts means there are many calendars to match, so you will have to share for example, character graphics three months before they would be locked down and used in the game.”

Toni recalls a huge learning experience for everyone at Rovio as the company went through massive growth. Suddenly the rules about making games as they knew it did not apply any more and they had to create new ones on the go. “I guess that was the single most challenging thing for the artists; we used to have enough time to try out different styles and approaches during a game production and lock it down in the last minute, and suddenly we had to deliver all the time. The team was fairly fresh and it was certainly baptism by fi re to have Angry Birds Space as your fi rst game project. It was exhausting and it was fun. We knew it was going to be great, we wanted to show that the fi rst Angry Birds was not an accident and that we could bring the experience to a whole new level,” he said.

After Angry Birds Space things got even crazier for Toni when he learned Rovio was to make an offi cial Star Wars game. “As far as brands go, you can´t really think of anything bigger than Star Wars! I´ve been a fan all my life and now I had a chance to offi cially leave my mark in the legacy,” he recalls.

“Star Wars was defi nitely an inspiration for AB Space, and we hoped so much to be able to make an offi cial mash up later that we never put Star Wars style black space background in AB Space. We thought it might be wise to save it for later.”

Toni’s own fi eld of operation has since expanded to Books, Consumer Products and Marketing. He summed up an average day: “I am involved in fi ve to ten different projects from different departments, ranging from sparring and consulting teams and artists to rolling up my sleeves and taking care of various tasks myself. When people are in doubt about anything visual, I´m the one go-to guy for a brutally quick and honest opinion.”

Rovio’s Angry Birds universe has just got bigger

Angry Birds Stella flew into app stores worldwide this September, introducing fans of Angry Birds to the exciting new world of Golden Island filled with new adventures and characters.

Stella and her friends Poppy, Willow, Dahlia and Luca share a common love for adventure and fun, but as in the real world their colourful personalities sometimes clash so they pull together to find creative solutions to their problems. Adding to the anarchy is Gale, a good bird gone bad who is out to rule over the birds’ island habitat.

It’s an inclusive and bold brand about friendship, adventure, strong personalities and female heroism. Fans can experience the brand across games, animations, books and consumer products.

A new line of Angry Birds Stella TELEPODS were also introduced in September which were developed in collaboration with Hasbro and powered by Retoy. The range allows kids to “teleport” their Angry Birds Stella figures into the digital gameplay and enjoy a full play experience apart from the game. Angry Birds Stella is challenging even the most experienced bird flingers!

November sees the premiere of Angry Birds Stella animation series on ToonTV! The first season will have 13 six-minute episodes, each one an inspiring tale of adventure, heroism and friendship. Episodes will air every week on ToonsTV and the series will also make its way to TV and VOD services worldwide.

The first Angry Birds Stella consumer product lines launched at the Las Vegas Licensing Expo and plush toys, apparel and accessories are on their way this Autumn along with Angry Birds Stella books to give even more insight into the story and characters.

Transformers and Angry Birds in brand new mash-up!Autobirds assemble! Rovio Entertainment and Hasbro, Inc have teamed up once again to bring together two of the coolest and most popular entertainment brands for a mash-up to connect fans across generations and multiple platforms.

Birds disguised as robots in disguise! That’s Angry Birds Transformers and they’re coming to life mid October, combining the iconic Transformers universe with the quirky world of Angry Birds.

Video teasers for the game have received wide praise from the online world for their nod to the original 80’s Transformers visuals and undeniable cool factor.

Angry Birds Transformers will be supported by TELEPODS technology, developed in collaboration with Hasbro, which will allow fans to teleport their favourite characters into the game and gain unique powers. True to Rovio’s style, it’s a unique and fun way to bridge the digital and physical experience of the brand. For more information go to: transformers.angrybirds.com

The Directors

Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis Reilly and Kaytis are both animation veterans, making their directional debuts with Angry Birds. Kaytis began his career as an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

In his 19 years at Disney, he served as animation supervisor of Tangled and the follow-up short, Tangled Ever After, conceived and oversaw the end credits sequence of Wreck-It Ralph which he also animated on. He was also supervising animator of the character Rhino in Bold and animated on the hit move Frozen and Oscar-winning short, Paperman.

Reilly joined Sony Pictures Animation as a storyboard artist, contributing to films like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and its sequel plus Hotel Transylvania. He was a Director and Head of Story on several development projects at Sony Pictures Animation and was previously a storyboard artist on Spider-Man 2 and The Iron Giant.

The Writer

Jon Vitti Comedy writer, Jon Vitti, a veteran of The Simpsons, King of the Hill, The office, Da Ali G Show, and the Larry Sanders Show, will write the screenplay for Angry Birds. Vitti won an Emmy Award for his work as writer-consulting producer on King of the Hill. Jon also shared a writing credit on the feature films The Simpsons Movie and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The Producers

David Maisel, Executive ProducerMaisel is the former Chairman of Marvel Studios and executive producer of Iron Man.

John Cohen, ProducerCohen most recently produced Despicable Me and executive produced Illumination/Universal’s Hop in 2011. Cohen was also at one time, VP of Production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation.He worked closely with Blue Sky Studios on films including Ice Age, Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who. Cohen had the idea to reimagine Alvin and the Chipmunks and developed the 2007 film.

Catherine WinderWinder was formerly the president of Rainmaker Entertainment in Vancouver and oversaw set-up, production and development at Lucasfilm Animation and served as VP of Production at Twentieth Centry Fox Animation where she re-structured Blue Sky Studios and oversaw the production of the original Ice Age.

Distributor

Sony Pictures EntertainmentSony Pictures Entertainment is the exclusive worldwide distributor of the Angry Birds animated film.

Star line-up for Angry Birds movie In 2016, Rovio will release the first 3D Angry Birds Movie, bringing the globally known brand and its beloved characters to the big screen. The film will be distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures. Rovio will produce and finance the movie outside the studio system and retain full creative control.

A mega-talented team is in place to bring the 3D CG-animated movie to life.

Fergal Reilly

Clay Kaytis

Jon Vitti

David Maisel

John Cohen

Catherine Winder