The original Angry Birds is leaving Android and Google Play for good
Developer Rovio is delisting the original Angry Birds from Android platforms and will rename it on iOS because the mobile game is too popular (thanks, GamesIndustry). From Feb. 23, 2023, onward, you won’t be able to buy Rovio Classics: Angry Birds will disappear from Google Play and will show up as Red’s First Flight on the iOS store.
“We are extremely grateful to the Angry Birds fans who have shown their love of the brand and this game from the beginning,” Rovio said on Twitter in the initial announcement. “We hope those fans can continue to bring that passion to our live Angry Birds slingshot games such as Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, and Angry Birds Journey, where our goal every day is to craft the best possible experience for players.”
Please read below for an important announcement regarding the availability of Rovio Classics: Angry Birds. pic.twitter.com/a4n4bU5gQJ
— Rovio (@Rovio) February 21, 2023
Rovio community manager Shawn Buckelew explained the reasons further in the game’s Discord server. Buckelew said Angry Birds was too popular and diverted attention from the studio’s other live-service, free-to-play games and the microtransactions that keep Rovio afloat.
“It is negatively impacting our other games, which is what we as a company have to focus on,” Buckelew said. “If those other games do not improve and grow, then the outlook of the entire company changes. It’s harder to create new games, or work on new projects. I’m not sure that’s something you would want.”
The industry might be shifting more toward live service models, but it seems fans aren’t ready to give up their classic casual games just yet.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF