Sega reportedly set to acquire Angry Birds dev Rovio in $1 billion deal

Sega is reportedly close to acquiring mobile gaming giant Rovio Entertainment, the team behind the highly popular Angry Birds franchise, for close to $1 billion. However, at the time of writing this article, neither Sega nor Rovio have made any official statements regarding the merger, but the deal is expected to happen soon. According to reports, the billion-dollar acquisition deal is expected to end early next week, provided discussions between the two publishing giants don't fall apart.

Acquiring Rovio will be one of the biggest investments the Tokyo-based company has made in the last couple of decades, which is interesting, especially considering the video game developer's portfolio.

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Sega reportedly close to acquiring Rovio, studio behind Angry Birds games, for $1 billion

Rovio was previously in talks about their deal with Israeli mobile games company Playtika, who were reportedly going to purchase the studio behind Angry Birds for a whopping $800 million. However, those negotiations apparently ended last month, resulting in Rovio staying independent.

While it's unclear why Sega is making a billion-dollar investment in purchasing a studio that specializes in creating mobile games, it can be speculated that the Tokyo-based company might have plans to delve into the mobile gaming industry, arguably the most lucrative venture in terms of revenue generation, especially if it can get a hold of a dedicated player base with a quality free-to-play title.

Sega has acquired a few studios over the past few years, including Two Point Campus' developer Two Point Studios, Relic Entertainment, the developers behind the Company of Heroes series, Atlus, the renowned studio behind games like Persona, and Shin Megami Tensei, and most recently, the Soul Hackers series.

While Rovio's portfolio does not match up to that of other studios acquired by the Tokyo-based company, it does indicate the willingness of the publisher to diversify its catalog of games.

Mobile gaming has been a quintessential part of the global gaming and esports landscape. While Rovio's Angry Birds series might not be as popular as it used to be back in the 2010s, the studio is creative enough to build games that appeal to players worldwide.