A new report from MobileGamer.biz has confirmed that Angry Birds and Sonic Rumble developer Rovio has been hit with layoffs due to its puzzle game Angry Birds Dream Blast underperforming. The article says that the studio will lay off 36 team members while undergoing restructuring as it continues to integrate with its parent company, Sega. As part of the restructuring, Rovio’s Finnish puzzle studio will be focusing on fewer games while its studio in Barcelona will take on extra work.
A spokesperson for Rovio told the outlet, “No games have been cancelled, but Angry Birds Dream Blast has unfortunately not been performing as expected. We have been renewing our organisation this autumn in reaction to one of our games underperforming and in order to better respond to the market, to move towards a more game-centric approach, and to be able to iterate fast on new game ideas.”
The outlet states that industry chatter suggests that Rovio CEO Alexandre Pelletier-Normand has been relocated and is currently spending time visiting the different branches of Rovio to ease workers into their new roles with Sega. For those unaware, Rovio was acquired by Sega in April 2023 for $776 million in an effort to expand its development of mobile games. Since the acquisition, Rovio has assisted with development of Sonic Rumble and Sonic Blitz while continuing to iterate on its own franchise.
“We are also making some changes in our management structure to reflect our role as a non-listed company, as well as tightening our relations with SEGA,” the spokesperson told MobileGamer.biz. “These changes resulted in changes in some roles, the creation of several new roles and a total of 36 employees being made redundant.”
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
