Rovio Renames Angry Birds Classic on iOS Due to 'Impact' on Wider Games Portfolio

[MacRumors]

Rovio this week announced that it is renaming Rovio Classics: Angry Birds to "Red's First Flight" on the iPhone and the iPad, due to the "impact" that the "Classics" name and title was having on its wider games portfolio.

Rovio did not go into specifics on how the game is affecting its other titles, but Rovio Classics: Angry Birds is a paid app with no in-app purchases, unlike Angry Birds Friends, Angry Birds Journey, and Angry Birds 2, three other Rovio games that encourage microtransactions. Development resources for the Classic game could be used on other apps that bring in more money.

Customers who go to search for Angry Birds in the App Store will now be encouraged to download one of the newer titles with in-app purchase options rather than shown the paid $0.99 Classics option.

The Angry Birds Classics title will be unlisted from the Google Play Store on Thursday, and it will be renamed on the App Store. Customers who have already paid for and downloaded Rovio Classics: Angry Birds will be able to continue to play it after the app has been unlisted/renamed.

Rovio said that this is "sad news" for fans and the team that worked on Rovio Classics: Angry Birds, but the company hopes fans will transition to its other titles.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1627956351002443778

Angry Birds is one of the most well-known mobile games, and it has been around since 2009. The franchise has spawned multiple titles, two movies, books, comics, theme park attractions, and merchandise. Rovio Classics: Angry Birds was introduced just about a year ago after Rovio took the time to rebuild it with a new game engine.

Article Link: Rovio Renames Angry Birds Classic on iOS Due to 'Impact' on Wider Games Portfolio

 

[eqquito]

but the company hopes fans will transition to its other titles.

Other titles outside of the Rovio catalog of games with microtransactions.

 

[JuicyGoomba]

TIL that not only do people still play Angry Birds, but that it is also profitable in 2023. Crazy times.

 

[antnythr]

Gotta cash in on little kids with loot box gambling microtransactions.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

How about "Red's Last Flight".

Classic Game! So many people are going to be disappointed by this. No one's going to have a clue what is "Red's First Flight".

 

[stiligFox]

Sadly I guess this proves the Free-to-play microtransactions model is far more successful than a pay-once model. Going to go buy the classics app now before they decide to pull it altogether…


EDIT: turns out I already bought it and forgot lol

 

[docfrag]

Classic game for a classic price comes up in search, gets bought instead of gimmicky, spendy crap. I think I understand the “problem.”

 

[StellarVixen]

Yep, I’m sure some 6 year old kid will not like it because it says “classic”.

“What do you mean ‘classic’? Eww…not gonna play that.”

Edit: nevermind, on second read, this is even worse than I thought.

 

[goobot]

So they basically don’t want you to download the one with no micro-transactions

 

[Kramerjn]

I just bought it bc I'm not a fan of the newer ones. Boy is the original so much better!

 

[sfwalter]

So they basically don’t want you to download the one with no micro-transactions

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

 

[eqquito]

I just bought it bc I'm not a fan of the newer ones. Boy is the original so much better!

Yup I did the same. Havent played Angry Birds in years but it wasn't a bad game.

 

[rcread]

I was at one time ranked in the top 500 in Angry Birds on Game Center. I played it when my wife watched Real Housewives of Flint, or whatever.

 

[sw1tcher]

Rovio this week announced that it is renaming Rovio Classics: Angry Birds to "Red's First Flight" on the iPhone and the iPad, due to the "impact" that the "Classics" name and title was having on its wider games portfolio.

Rovio did not go into specifics on how the game is affecting its other titles, but Rovio Classics: Angry Birds is a paid app with no in-app purchases, unlike Angry Birds Friends, Angry Birds Journey, and Angry Birds 2, three other Rovio games that encourage microtransactions. Development resources for the Classic game could be used on other apps that bring in more money.

It's easy to figure out what's happening. It's like with Coke, people prefer the original "Classic" version of Angry Birds because it's a pay once and play as much as you want game whereas the newer games are all based on microtransactions.

Microtransactions = steady revenue stream for Rovio as they get to milk the players

This is no different than how software subscription services suck. Looking at you Adobe.

 

[compwiz1202]

Sadly I guess this proves the Free-to-play microtransactions model is far more successful than a pay-once model. Going to go buy the classics app now before they decide to pull it altogether…


EDIT: turns out I already bought it and forgot lol

I will not buy MT unless I like the game, and it's something that boosts you forever, but nothing like eggs that you can use for one time boosts. And I definitely miss better games with a one time fee.

 

[munpip214]

Or
Sorry we are renaming Super Mario Bros to My Plumber Friends.

 

[BeerDrinkerDan]

Those birds should really get over it. They've been angry for so long it cannot be good for them.

 

[Wanted797]

So they basically don’t want you to download the one with no micro-transactions

As a for profit company this doesn’t seem that odd…

 

[Macaholic868]

This article made me buy a copy just for the heck of it so when they tank it in favor of only offering apps that offer rip off in-app purchases I’ll have an option. 😂

 

[charlesdayton]

How about "Red's Last Flight".

No one's going to have a clue what is "Red's First Flight".

That’s the idea.

 

[CarAnalogy]

At least they're being honest. Microtransactions have largely ruined the industry.

I wonder if it really is still possible to just sell games, and it's the huge amount of money of microtransactions by comparison that makes it seem like it's not.

I remember a youtube video where someone did the math to show that Valve will never make Half-Life 3. Even if they charged $90 for it and it sold twice as much as HL2, they would still make less money total than they do in a year on DOTA microtransactions.

 

[Porco]

Angry Birds has taught me that if Rovio’s wider games portfolio happens to constructed using wooden planks and a variety of shaped rocks they are sensible to be very cautious about any kind of impact…

 

[redheeler]

Sadly I guess this proves the Free-to-play microtransactions model is far more successful than a pay-once model. Going to go buy the classics app now before they decide to pull it altogether…


EDIT: turns out I already bought it and forgot lol

Free-to-play microtransactions are very profitable because they use the same psychological reward system as gambling.

 

[klasma]

TIL that not only do people still play Angry Birds, but that it is also profitable in 2023. Crazy times.

Not profitable enough, apparently.

 

[PauloSera]

Microtransactions = steady revenue stream for Rovio as they get to milk the players

That's one way to say it. Another way is: stay in business.

I get that some people are not fans of subscriptions and micro transactions, but I wonder if they (you) appreciate at all that they are what allows you to have the content in the first place.

The usual retort is: Just charge a reasonable 1-time fee. OK. How many people would pay $59.99 for a mobile game? And when they don't, the game fails, nothing else is developed, no updates are issued, and the two people who did buy it are SOL.