The newest
Angry Birds game either is or is not coming out for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform, depending on who at Rovio you ask.
Angry Birds Space, the company's latest title, launched for both Android and Apple's iOS earlier this week,
immediately becoming both the top selling and top earning game on Apple's popular service. A Windows Phone version of the game has been conspicuously absent from any announcements from the company, whose original
Angry Birds title is the number one selling game on the platform.
When asked about this, Rovio marketing head Peter Vesterbacka reportedly said the company has no plans to bring the game over, saying that the potential return on investment for "smaller platforms" such as Windows Phone might not justify porting the game over.
"We're the number one app in the Windows Phone app store, but it's a big undertaking to support it, and you have to completely rewrite the application," he told Bloomberg in a report that ran
early Friday morning.
"We want to be on all screens, but we have to consider the cost of supplying the smaller platforms."
The report quickly spread, with Windows Phone manufacturer Nokia's stocks taking a notable hit and analysts chiming in about the implications of the number one Windows Phone game developer apparently dropping support for the platform.
"This is a worrying development for Windows Phone because it suggests that Rovio does not have much confidence in its future," said Nomura analyst Richard Windsor. "As the standard version is already number one on the Windows Phone app store, it gives a strong indication that no one else will expect to be making money writing for this platform either."
However, Rovio CEO Mikael Hed quickly dismissed these reports, committing his company to bringing out a Windows Phone 7 version of the game.
"We are working towards getting
Angry Birds Space to WP7," Hed
told Reuters.
"We are working closely together with Nokia to bring our games to their platforms," Hed said. "Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices."
Rovio's
Angry Birds series of games has been downloaded more than 700 million times, according to the company.
Rovio values itself at
at least $1.2 billion as it eyes an eventual IPO.
