Rovio, the Finnish developer behind the "Angry Birds" franchise, is having a rough few months. According to The Hustle, it culminated on Friday (March 2) when they announced their Head of Games, Wilhelm Taht, is leaving the company. This comes a week after the company released a dramatic Profit Warning for the start of this year. On top of that, they will be closing their London office, space they have had for only a year. All this news comes on the heels of a disastrous fourth quarter for the animation studio.

A rough end to 2017

CEO Kati Levoranta released a statement, saying that their latest "Angry Birds" games have fallen short of expectations.

However, that assertion might be a bit of an understatement. Their latest outing, "Angry Birds Evolution," is currently ranked 562nd in the US App Store and 451st in Google Play. Also, "Match," a game outside the Angry Birds franchise, is ranking in the 700s. It seems people have forgotten about Rovio.

The revenue for Q4 was reported to be $90.7 million. Their stock has also dropped. It has fallen 50 percent since the $18 valuation they received upon going public a year ago.

Personal reasons

While the timing is convenient, Rovio contends that Taht's departure is for personal reasons, and it is not related to their poor Q4. Levoranta did go on to say that they will use the opportunity as a chance to simplify their company structure.

Can they do that and build for the future?

Moving forward

At one time Rovio was king of the hill. They had expanded Angry Birds into successful ventures with other popular entities including Star Wars in 2012. While "Fortnite" seems to be the game everyone is talking about these days, and "Pokemon GO" continues to march on in the mobile game space, Rovio and "Angry Birds" will also carry on.

"The Angry Birds Movie," released in 2016, made $349.8 million at the box office with a budget of just $73 million. A sequel is planned for release in September 2019. That will also be the 10-year anniversary of when the first "Angry Birds" game was first released.

Hopefully, the movie can bring "Angry Birds" back to the public consciousness.

As Rovio has found out, staying on top in mobile gaming can be a challenge. People have short attention spans. They are constantly looking for something new to entertain them. They cycle through gaming apps at a quick rate. Rovio needs to find something that can capture their attention again. Otherwise, it could be the end for both the birds and the pigs.
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