Angry Birds switches from mobiles to games consoles

Page last updated at 15:15 GMT, Tuesday, 4 January 2011

E-mail this to a friend

By Dan Whitworth
Newsbeat technology reporter Angry Birds poster

One of the most successful smartphone games ever is making the switch from mobiles to consoles.

Angry Birds has been downloaded 36 million times by people using Apple's iPhone and the Google Android operating system.

But not content with that, developers Rovio are working on a version for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Its chief executive Peter Vesterbacka says that kind of switch will become more and more common.

He said: "The smartphone gaming platform is actually turning out to be the biggest and most played out there.

"So it's starting to beat the traditional games on consoles and PCs."

'Biggest title'

The puzzle game features a variety of birds, all with different skills, trying to rescue their eggs from evil pigs.

Using a slingshot the birds are catapulted at different structures the pigs are hiding in.

The smartphone gaming platform is actually turning out to be the biggest and most played out there. So it's starting to beat the traditional games on consoles and PCs

Peter Vesterbacka Rovio Chief Executive

Originally developed for the iPhone app store it was downloaded one million times in 24 hours when it was released in October on Google's Android OS.

Piers Harding-Rolls is a games analyst with IHS Screen Digest.

"There have been a few recent examples of games that originated on the app store being made available through PlayStation Minis on PSN.

"But the news that Angry Birds is earmarked to launch on Xbox, Wii and PS3 means that this is easily the biggest title to make the shift yet."

Peter Vesterbacka wouldn't go into details about when fans would be able to get the new versions of the game other than to say he hoped it would be launched sometime next year.

But he did reveal there were definitely plans for an Angry Birds 2.

It won't be a sequel or a prequel but a different type of game featuring the same characters.

"Let's say that you will see a lot more of the pigs," he revealed.

"The pigs will be a lot more active than just being sling-shotted at by birds."