Angry Birds creator Rovio has announced that CEO Pekka Rantala will be stepping down after spending just over a year at the helm.

Rantala's first year at the top was a difficult one, with Rovio cutting 213 jobs across the board in October in an effort to become "leaner and more agile" going forward. Only those working on the upcoming Angry Birds movie were shielded from the layoffs. 

Rovio's chief legal officer Kati Levoranta will take over as CEO at the start of 2016, a year that will see the company's two main arms, video games and media, be given more independence. 

The new media wing will be headed up by Mikael Hed, a former Rovio CEO himself, while Wilhelm Taht, currently head of external products, will take control of the newly independent video game arm.

Speaking out about his departure, Rantala explained that it was time to seek new challenges after helping the company regain its focus.

"I want to thank all employees for their tremendous and exceptional support during my time here," said Rantala. 

"Now that we have sharpened our organisational focus and set the table for an exciting 2016, I feel now the time is right for me to step aside and move on to new challenges. Kati has been an amazing colleague, and I know that I am leaving the company in excellent hands."