‘Angry Birds’: remake leaves Android app stores – 03/22/2023 – Tech

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Many reasons can lead to a game being pulled from stores, but, at least until now, being too successful didn’t seem to be one of them.

Rovio withdrew at the end of February a remake of “Angry Birds”, the inaugural game of its most successful franchise, from the app store for Android devices. In addition, the company stated that it would change the name of “Rovio Classics: Angry Birds” in the Apple store to “Red’s First Flight” – in the Brazilian store, the game continues with the same name.

The game was launched by the company in March last year, in response to an old request from fans to relaunch one of the first great successes in the mobile game market. The original version of the game – released in 2009, just two years after the first iPhone – had been excluded from stores a few years ago due to incompatibility with new mobile devices.

The title received the same price as its original release in the US –US$ 0.99 (in Brazil, the game costs R$4.90)– and, just like paid games in the early days of smartphone application stores, it does not have modern monetization systems such as ads or microtransactions.

Even with these “old-fashioned” features — and maybe even because of them –, the game is a bestseller and currently occupies the top of the list of most downloaded puzzle games in the Apple store.

That’s why, when Rovio announced on twitter which was taking steps to effectively boycott its own game, fans and pundits alike raised the possibility that the new game was cannibalizing the company’s earnings from its more modern titles. These free “live service” games are based on microtransactions that can cost hundreds of reais.

Rovio, however, denies that this was the reason for its actions. Ben Mattes, executive responsible for Rovio’s strategy for the “Angry Birds” franchise titles, told the Axios website that the changes were aimed at improving the ranking of other games in the series in app stores.

The company believes that casual gamers looking for free games ended up finding the paid title by typing “Angry Birds” into the search field. With that, they gave up downloading any of the games. “We’ve spent the last 10 or 11 months trying to solve this problem,” Mattes said.

He said that the company looked for other alternatives, such as using another wording in the name of the game and changing its metadata so that it would not appear as prominently in searches, but these measures did not have the effect they had hoped. With that, Rovio opted for a more drastic measure.

If the strategy works, the company does not rule out withdrawing the game from the Apple store as well. On the other hand, if the company’s thesis proves to be wrong, the game may still be available for Android devices again, says the executive.

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game tip, new or old, for you to test

51 Squadron against the Flying Saucers

(PC and Switch)

Developed by studio Loomiarts, from São Leopoldo (RS), “Esquadrão 51 contra os Discos Voadores” offers players a fun and exciting “shoot ’em up” experience, in addition to standing out for its unique aesthetic. The game has a look inspired by classic science fiction films from the 1950s, such as “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (1951), and features “cutscenes” with real actors, giving the player the feeling of controlling the characters of a black and white film. It’s a title unlike anything you’ve ever played that demonstrates the creativity of national developers. The game is available for PC and was released last week for Switch.

The reporter received a free copy of the game for testing.

update

news, launches, business and what matters most

• Spending on games for PC and console fell 2.2% from 2021 to 2022, reaching the level of US$ 92.3 billion (R$ 487.2 billion) last year, said the consultancy Newzoo. In its annual report on the games market, the company also pointed out a 23% drop in the average time users spend playing on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation platforms.

• The consultancy claims that the declines were already expected and, in reality, put the market at a more realistic level after the great growth observed during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, it foresees an expansion of the console market in 2023 and 2024 with the end of the international logistics crises and the shortage of semiconductor chips.

• Roblox lost about US$ 150 million (R$ 790.6 million) with the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank, in the last week. The company said that the amount represents about 5% of its total cash balance and that it will not affect its daily operations. The lost value must be reimbursed by the US government.

• GSC Game World, the Ukrainian developer of the game “STALKER 2: Heart Of Chernobyl”, stated in message on twitter that the account of one of its employees was hacked by a “community of a Russian social network” and that the stolen information is being used in blackmail and intimidation attempts. The company asks its fans not to pay attention to leaked material from its game.

• A delegation of 43 Brazilian studios will be present at the GDC (Game Developers Conference), one of the main events for game developers in the world, which takes place between March 20th and 24th in San Francisco. The developers’ participation is promoted by Abragames (Brazilian Association of Digital Game Developers) in partnership with ApexBrasil (Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency).

• Microsoft has confirmed that it will not have a physical presence at this year’s E3, following in the footsteps of other major companies in the video game industry like PlayStation and Nintendo. The company told IGN, however, that it will hold a virtual event displaying some of its games on June 11, in the online edition of the fair.

• Atari acquired the rights to 12 games developed by Stern Electronics, a manufacturer of arcade machines from the 1980s. According to the company, its idea is to create updated versions of the games and expand the distribution of the company’s classic games.

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games that will be released in the next few days and promotions that are worthwhile

March 21

“Tchia”: price not available* (PC, PS 4/5)

“The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution”: BRL 214.90 (PS VR2)

“Remnant: From The Ashes”: BRL 221.95 (Switch)

March 22

“Have a Nice Death”: BRL 61.99 (Switch)

March 23

“Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key”: BRL 299.90 (PS 4/5), BRL 349 (Switch)

“Storyteller”: R$ 59.99 (Switch), price not available (PC)

March 24

“Resident Evil 4 remake”: R$249 (PC), R$259 (PS 4/5, Xbox X/S)

*Available on PlayStation Plus Extra

promotion of the week

• Steam started its traditional spring (or fall for Brazilians) promotion. Hundreds of PC games are up to 90% off, including “Fifa 23” for BRL 149.50 (-50%), “Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice” for BRL 99.95 (-50%) and ” Battlefield 2042″ for BRL 74.70 (-70%). Offers go until next Thursday (23).