- Angry Birds fifteenth anniversary took place this year, with much fanfare
- But we didn't manage to get much of a look behind the scenes, until now that is
- I got in touch with Ben Mattes at Rovio to offer us some of his thoughts as creative officer
It's been fifteen years since the release of the first game in the Angry Birds series, and I think it's safe to say few would have expected it to turn out as popular as it did. Whether that's the hit releases on iOS and Android, the merchandise, the film series(!) or the fact it almost certainly fuelled a major acquisition by one of the biggest gaming companies in the world, Sega.
Yes, these humble irate avians have managed to make Rovio virtually a household name, and certainly one that holds a lot of meaning to players and business folks alike. Not to mention boosting Finland, alongside the work of devs like Supercell, into being considered the home of mobile game development. With that in mind, I thought it was the right time to get in touch with Rovio and get a look behind the scenes.
And wouldn't you know it? I was able to snag creative officer Ben Mattes to answer some questions I put to him. So let's see what he's got to say about the house that the Angry Birds built; and then knocked down.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role at Rovio over the years?
My name is Ben Mattes. I've been working professionally in game development for almost 24 years including stints at Gameloft, Ubisoft, and WB Games Montreal.
I've been at Rovio for almost 5 years now and while I've done a few different jobs they've all revolved around Angry Birds. For a little over a year now I've been focusing exclusively on Angry Birds as the 'Creative Officer' to help ensure that everything we do with the IP moving forward is coherent, respects our characters, lore and history. But also that we are using all of the products (new and existing) inside our portfolio to work together towards our vision for where the series should be for the next 15 years.
Looking back, even before your time at Rovio, what do you think the creative approach has been to Angry Birds?Angry Birds has always been accessible, but deep. It’s colourful and cute, but also tackles some serious issues and themes, such as inclusion and gender diversity. Appealing to kids (because cartoons!) but also to their parents (or grandparents) who appreciate the feeling of accomplishment that comes from a perfectly aimed slingshot (or that wonderfully chaotic cascade in Dream Blast).
That wide range [of themes] has always featured strongly in the Angry Birds creative strategy over the years and it's led to some extremely memorable partnerships and projects. Our challenge today is to celebrate and stay true to that but also to find and execute the New; the new game experiences that are true to the core pillars of the IP. The new stories centre on the eternal conflict between the Angry Birds and their nemeses, the greedy, gluttonous Pigs.
Did you feel at all intimidated coming on to work on a franchise that, even at the time, was so important for mobile gaming?It's not just mobile gaming, but all entertainment! To many, Red, the mascot of Angry Birds, is 'the face of mobile gaming', like Mario for Nintendo. He and the Angry Birds IP are recognized by people old and young around the world who've played the games, bought the toys, or watched the series and movies.
Everyone who works on Angry Birds at Rovio is very aware of the responsibility we have to try and do right by this IP - to create amazing new experiences that the players who grew up playing Angry Birds can say: "Yes! That's MY Angry Birds" and that new players (who maybe were too young in the early days of our IP) can look at and say: "Wow. This IP goes much deeper than I thought". Of course, it's super difficult to do - the nature of modern entertainment IP development means much of our work lives in live service games on Mobile, content platforms like Youtube, Instagram, or TikTok, and Social Media platforms like X.
This is close to 'building in the open' where we create a product and then immediately get feedback from our community as to what they like (or dislike) about it. This creates the added pressure of working on a beloved, world-renowned, transmedia IP, but also doing so in a way that is highly visible. It's a challenge but one we're all in on.
Where do you think Angry Birds will go in the future, as a game series and as a franchise?Sega clearly understands the value of a well-established IP when it comes to transmedia, i.e. building on Angry Birds' continuous success in nearly every category imaginable, from games to licensed products, feature films, and even amusement parks, and we're deeply focused on growing Angry Birds' fandom across all modern touchpoints in the years to come. We’re thrilled about the upcoming Angry Birds Movie 3 (stay tuned for more updates soon) and can’t wait to invite a whole new audience to enjoy the world of Angry Birds.
We want to inspire viewers with a powerful, hilarious and heartfelt new story and bring them deeper into the world through our games, merchandise, fan art, lore, and community. We've loved working with [movie producer] John Cohen and the creative team behind this movie because they deeply understand and love the IP and have been keenly interested to work hand-in-hand with us to introduce new characters, themes and story arcs that dovetail elegantly with the other projects we're working on.
What do you think is the reason that Angry Birds is so successful?Angry Birds has meant many things to many people over the years. As we celebrate 15 years (and plan for the next 15) we've had the chance to speak to a lot of players and developers and hear their 'Angry Birds Story'. For some it was the first videogame they ever played, for others, it was the 'aha' moment when they realized their phone was going to become so much more than 'just' a way to call their friends and family.
Some share stories of the world of possibilities they saw in the depth and charm of Angry Birds Toons and others proudly show off the literally hundreds of Angry Birds plush toys they've collected over the years.
Millions of fans. Millions of stories and many, many different ways to engage with and appreciate the IP, its characters, world, and core experiences. I think it is that breadth - "something for everyone" - that many IPs aspire towards but that has been at the heart of Angry Birds' success.
Do you have any messages for the fans of the series that have stuck with Angry Birds over the years?I want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have been with us on this incredible journey. Your passion, creativity, and engagement have truly shaped Angry Birds into what it is today. We’re constantly inspired by the fan art, the theories, the lore that you create.
As we’re expanding the Angry Birds universe with the upcoming movie, new titles, and other projects, we will keep listening to you. Whatever it is that drew you to Angry Birds in the first place (and kept you in the fandom) - we've got something cooking for you.
