Helsinki, Finland-based Rovio Mobile, the makers of the gaming app phenomenon, known as Angry Birds, have announced their newest update for the franchise, called Mine and Dine. The premise of this episode has the evil pigs stealing more eggs and going underground, in hopes of making off with their bounty. The birds are a little more than pissed off and are completely hellbent on crushing the evil green pigs and taking back their beloved eggs.
As is the case with all episodes of Angry Birds, the Mine and Dine series of levels will feature new props and costumes, including pickaxes, miner helmets, loose boulders, wooden beams, red jewels and new twists for various stages of the game. According to Rovio's Twitter feed (@RovioMobile), this edition has been submitted to the Apple App Store. One would think that it would be just a matter of a few weeks before it launches, due to the meteoric popularity of the game, but that's the magic and allure of Apple. They beat to their own drum and do (or don't do) whatever they feel is necessary to bring revenue to their company and promote their brand.
The funny coincidence about Rovio's announcement is that they began their intial buzz for Angry Birds: Mine and Dine, the same day that Steve Jobs gave a keynote speech at the WWDC 2011 conference, introducing the Apple iCloud platform. The Mine and Dine chapter will be a continuation of the Angry Birds franchise and not a Angry Birds: Seasons addition, as some have reported.
Something of interest will be Rovio Mobile's continuation and development of all Angry Birds versions. Keeping updated with one game is hard enough, but to repeatedly update all versions is a major feat. Angry Birds, Angry Birds: Seasons, Angry Birds Rio are the three main games, associated with the franchise. There are also other versions of the game like Angry Birds Magic, which incorporates NFC Technology with Nokia C7 smartphones and Angry Birds Chrome, which is available for free via the Google Chrome web browser.
The ability of their developers to constantly evolve and change the intricacies of the game have been an education, as well as fun to watch. Rovio are the pioneers of social application marketing and promotion and continue to impress and evolve, as time goes by. Several factors that have been essential to the game's popularity.
One example would be the usage of bonus levels. If you own a Nokia C7 phone and you "tap" it with another C7 owner, the game will unlock 5 new bonus levels. Every time you tap with a new user, 5 more levels unlock. Another example could be Rovio's usage of different themes, such as setting the game in Rio de Janeiro (Angry Birds Rio) or using popular holiday motifs (Angry Birds: Seasons). A third textbook example lies in their slow rollout of new gadgets and props such as dynamite, pickaxes, hard hats or army helmets. At the end of the day, any of the Angry Birds games are fun for the entire family and enjoyable for any age group. It's going to be interesting to see how they continue to grow this brand and continue to find ways of keeping it relevant.
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