Rovio buys Futuremark Game Studio

[Kolzig]

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/167289/Rovio_acquires_Shattered_Horizon_dev_Futuremark_Games.php

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/167302/Futuremark_retaining_game_rights_following_Rovio_acquisition.php

Jeez, they really are expanding.

Now they got the awesome guys of Futuremark Game Studio to join Rovio's ranks. There are some super talented guys in that studio like the guy who made Wings and Wings 2 "cave flying" games. They also have several top guys from all around like Petri Järvilehto the former boss at Remedy and several Bugbear guys who have driving sim knowledge under their belt.

I can't even imagine what they are creating right now, I know they have several non Angry Birds projects going on, but what the hell could those be? If my calculations are correct, Rovio has over 400 people working there in Espoo right now and soon in Tampere more.

[mikemariano]

I know they have several non Angry Birds projects going on, but what the hell could those be?

I hope that they allow smaller projects to live as smaller projects. It's all too possible that all of those projects will have to sell a billion copies or be quickly cancelled.

Who will buy a major studio first (like EA)? Rovio or Zynga?

[elmuerte]

Who will buy a major studio first (like EA)? Rovio or Zynga?

Rovio, because they make actual games.

[vogon]

I hope this results in the long-awaited Angry Birds Space / Shattered Horizon crossover we've all been asking for.

that said, this seems like it could be cool. glad to hear Futuremark Game Studio is getting picked up by a studio with momentum behind them.

[SiN]

Who will buy a major studio first (like EA)? Rovio or Zynga?

Neither of them. Why would they?

I think there's this idea that Rovio and Zynga are smaller or less legitimate version of EA/Activision. Or maybe that they aspire to be them. The reality is that their direction is *very* different from that of EA/Acti, and that they wouldn't stand to gain much from such a buyout.

[Raff]

They'd sooner move into the mining sector.

[vogon]

Neither of them. Why would they?

I think there's this idea that Rovio and Zynga are smaller or less legitimate version of EA/Activision. Or maybe that they aspire to be them. The reality is that their direction is *very* different from that of EA/Acti, and that they wouldn't stand to gain much from such a buyout.

yeah.

Rovio is trying to be the next PopCap, but they've out-PopCapped PopCap, because they found that casual games act like toys -- you can make a billion different variations and people will scoop them up if they're cheap enough individually.

Zynga is... I'm not sure what Zynga's trying to be. it sometimes feels like they're just trying to make the world's most abstruse order form for Facebook Credits.