Angry Birds Dev Rovio Hires Marvel's Maisel

David Maisel, formerly chairman at film company Marvel Studios, has joined Angry Birds developer Rovio as a special advisor, where he will advise the studio on the future of its popular franchise. The Iron Man and Captain America executive producer will help Rovio transition the Angry Birds franchise into new areas of the entertainment sector, while also serving as executive producer on the upcoming Angry Birds movies. Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, explained of the move, "David was instrumental in rebooting Marvel Studios and turning it into a blockbuster-producing powerhouse. We welcome his experience and vision as we continue broadening our entertainment production scope at Rovio." Maisel noted, "I’m very honored and excited to join Rovio, and my goal is to help unleash its great potential. The business model, intellectual properties, and the franchise potential of Angry Birds give Rovio the most exciting prospects I have seen in the entertainment business since Marvel in 2003." Angry Birds was first released for iPhone back in December 2009, and has since seen over 250 million total downloads across all versions of the game. After receiving $42 million in funding earlier this year, Rovio chairman Kaj Hed said the company was aiming for an initial public offering of stock sometime in the next five years.