Ever since touch screen mobile phones became the norm, game developers considered them potential handheld consoles that could rival PSP and Gameboy. Soon, app stores were flooded with unique games based on out of the box ideas. Angry Birds was one of these games that had humble beginnings but then went on to become one of the most downloaded mobile games. It is still going strong even after 10 years of its release. But why did Angry Birds succeed, where several others failed? At Gamecloud Technologies, we are fascinated by such success stories and try to pinpoint the exact reasons for their success. As it turns out, Angry Birds’ simplicity might have something to do with it, along with a bunch of different technical factors.
Development
Angry Birds began as a game proposal from a game designer at Rovio named Jaakko Lisalo. The premise was to launch angry looking birds using a slingshot towards pigs. Initially, it was developed only for the Appstore, and after a few lackluster weeks, Angry Birds reached the number one spot on UK and US Appstore. For final polishing, Rovio collaborated with Chillingo, a subsidiary of EA, who added a pinch to zoom, visible trajectory lines, and birds’ somersaults.
The real challenge came when Rovio wanted to expand into other devices. Moving into the android market was particularly tough due to the sheer variety of devices. Later, Rovio also made attempts to launch Angry Birds for Facebook, a project that took over a year to develop. Beta testing began in April 2011, and the game was finally live on Facebook in February 2012. Angry Birds would eventually overcome these challenges and move on the path to become one of the most popular games of all time.
Reasons for Success
There are a plethora of reasons why Angry Birds turned out to be such a tremendous success. Some of them might be related to Rovio’s focus on mobile app testing, while others could be related to gameplay. However, at Gamecloud Technologies, we believe that the Game Quality and High compatibility were the most prominent.
- Game Quality
Although Angry Birds fans have consistently reported bugs and glitches, Rovio still managed to keep critics at bay. They are highly responsive to feedback from the players and used it to create the best game possible. Every few months, they come out with a new update with new chapters, levels, and bug fixes. Despite facing issues with glitches and bugs, Rovio still managed to maintain superior game quality by identifying issues and addressing them via regular updates. Each year on December 11 to celebrate Angry Bird’s birthday, they release a new update with a host of new features and levels.
- Compatibility
By stepping out of the confines of iOS, Angry Birds opened its doors to players who used several kinds of devices. Lack of compatibility with devices other than iOS could have halted Angry Birds’ attempt to grow. Android devices were the most prolific and the most challenging to conquer. As we mentioned before, the variety of android software and hardware posed severe challenges for them. However, they stressed on mobile app compatibility testing and soon settled on a set of minimum requirements, leaving out more than 30 android phones as incompatible. Still, it was a success, and before we knew it, Angry Birds was everywhere. From devices iPhones, Android phones, Windows phones, consoles to software like Facebook, and as a browser game, Angry Birds was spreading like wildfire. Pretty soon, there was no popular platform where you couldn’t play Angry Birds. Rovio even made it compatible with e-readers and Smart TVs. The fact that anyone, irrespective of their device, could download and play this free and addictive game was the most crucial reason for its success.
Conclusion
Angry Birds was not a shot in the dark, which became successful by mistake. On the contrary, it was a planned project where all the possibilities were thoroughly analyzed, and the most promising ones were undertaken. At Gamecloud Technologies, we believe that, like any other business, the video game industry is also plagued with risks and uncertainties. For instance, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic should have disrupted the entire gaming industry. Instead, this situation acted as a catalyst for gaming companies, and more people were buying games as they were spending a lot of time at their homes.
