Rovio turns Angry Birds into TV series

Feathers will fly on the box with mobile game Angry Birds being made into a TV show.

The series will consist of 52 episodes lasting about three minutes each, according to the game’s creator, Rovio.

“We’re going to roll out a weekly animation series later this year,” says Nick Dorra, Rovio’s head of animation.

He says the cartoon, which will also be available on phones and iPads, will be less about the slingshot and more about the characters. Meanwhile, a film of the game is due in 2015.

Peter Vesterbacka, marketing chief of the Finnish start-up, says Rovio sees itself as an entertainment brand, not just a games company.

“We want to make Angry Birds a permanent part of pop culture,” he says, comparing the brand to Nintendo’s Mario and Sanrio’s Hello Kitty.

“We’re just getting started.”

As gaming companies seek to expand their reach, what opportunities does that present to entrepreneurs? If not a cartoon or film, then certainly in the form of merchandise.