Angry Birds maker Rovio to launch new game

Associated Press

HELSINKI (AP) — Finnish mobile game developer Rovio has announced it will launch a successor to its immensely popular wingless birds franchise "Angry Birds" in the next few months.

CEO Mikael Hed says it has bought the rights to "Casey's Contraptions" — a puzzle game played on cellphones and computers — from developers Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut.

Hed told Finnish YLE TV on Friday that the game will be renamed "Amazing Alex," and revolve around "a curious young boy who loves to build things."

He said Angry Birds has reached 1 billion downloads just two years after its launch.

Rovio said its revenue for 2011 was €75.4 million ($98 million), but gave no comparable figure for the previous year.

Last month, Rovio launched its first "Angry Birds" theme park in Finland.