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Angry Birds developer says no IPO in 2012

  • By Eddie Makuch, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 20, 2012 7:36 am PT

Rovio says this year is "way too early" for an initial public offering; no decision yet made as to where or when it will list.

Angry Birds creator Rovio hatched a winner with its bird-flinging, pig-destroying mobile game, but the Finnish game company is going to incubate more before going public.

An Angry Birds IPO isn't hatching just yet.

An Angry Birds IPO isn't hatching just yet.

Speaking with international news house Reuters recently, Rovio marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka explained that the company will not file an initial public offering (IPO) in 2012.

"We are not in a rush," Vesterbacka explained. "This year is way too early for an IPO; there are too many open things, and we are in a very early stage of the Angry Birds life cycle."

As for which market Rovio is considering to file in, Reuters reports that the company had previously considered Hong Kong or New York, but Vesterbacka said no decision has been made.

"Hong Kong is very interesting, absolutely, but again it is totally dependent on how markets develop. Asia is where all the people are, and future growth," he said.

If Rovio does go public, it will join a series of recent tech companies in doing so, including casual game maker Zynga. The firm behind CityVille, FarmVille, CastleVille, and Texas HoldEm Poker went public in December and stumbled with a present valuation of $9.02 (at press time), well below the $10 it originally was listed for.

13 Comments

  • G_gglypuff

    Posted Jan 21, 2012 9:29 am GMT

    Honestly, Angry Birds is so damn simple I actually never bought any copy. Then, if they make a good game, chances are people will pass.

  • DamageIncM

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 9:45 pm GMT

    I would like to see some game like this for the PS3.
    With the same sort of addictive and funny simplicity, that essence.
    But a but more expanded upon, gameplay-wise and multiplayer and all that.
    Maybe more game-modes and goals than just destruction, I'm sure there is plenty to create for it.

  • Excetera-ZEN

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 7:39 pm GMT

    Yeah, they did only have one successful game after many attempts, they should stabilize first.

  • dxdevilex0

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 5:18 pm GMT

    Lol people nowadays don't even play angry birds anymore.

  • MEDzZ3RO

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 4:57 pm GMT

    Angry Bird gets loads of attention but realistically it's not that good. It's casual, free and an ok pass time, that's all it has going for it. If we had to pay for it it wouldn't be getting this much attention.

  • deathTHEkidd

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 4:19 pm GMT

    Its so annoying these guys have made only ONE good game, ONE! And they think they ontop of the world. You can't expect to ride on one franchise, i wonder who advises them. Its stupid to even talk about an IPO when you own one game franchise, and we all know how fast the social gaming scene shifts. This bubble will burst if they do nothing and it will be spectacular.

  • daabulls23

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 1:55 pm GMT

    They saw Zynga's IPO and said "Nope!"

  • Halloll

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 1:06 pm GMT

    they're waiting for a new crush the castle first

  • MGSKojima

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 12:42 pm GMT

    @NeilCardiff Because not everyone thinks like you?

  • SolidTy

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 12:17 pm GMT


    Well, it's good to see Rovio will not file an initial public offering in 2012, they are too young. Best to get those creative juices flowing before going public.

  • NeilCardiff

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 10:11 am GMT

    Why isn't everyone bored senseless with Angry Birds already?
    It's so repetitive that I got fed up with it after about an hour or so.

  • Tsuchikage

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 9:51 am GMT

    Does Rovio have anything up its sleeve for the future beyond Angry Birds? A publicly traded company would need more than one successful IP, and it doesn't seem like Rovio has that.

  • Gelugon_baat

    Posted Jan 20, 2012 7:43 am GMT

    Oh please, please, don't go public.

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