Angry Birds Friends: Games as a Service Story

With social play in mind from day one, Angry Birds Friends was launched in 2012 when the mobile gaming landscape was dominated by premium titles and single player experiences. Today, the game is bigger and better than ever, with new levels every week and regular events driven by a small team. What does it take to evolve a game over the years in the ever-changing mobile games market, and what kind of a team and mentality is behind the game’s success?

The predominant model for mobile games that emerged in the early days was that of the premium game. Developers would create a complete game and offer it in app stores for a fixed price. However around the time of the Angry Birds Friends launch, the mobile gaming landscape had just started to go in a different direction, with some games being available for free, with continual updates coming at a regular pace. This approach came to be known as games as a service.

Angry Birds Friends brought the classic Angry Birds experience to a social platform (at first, Facebook), and offered new levels, and new tournaments for players to compete in every week. By creating a game that is constantly evolving and changing, the Angry Birds Friends team was able to offer fresh experiences to players every time they pick up the game. This is in no small part, due to its creative and inventive level designers, who deliver 20 fresh levels every week. Working with partners as varied as Everton Football Club, and heavy metal legends, Iron Maiden, has also kept players on their toes with special limited time events.

Three thousand levels later, Angry Birds Friends is still delivering on its promise to bring a fresh take on classic Angry Birds gameplay week after week. Hear the story from the Angry Birds Friends team in the full video, Inside Rovio – Angry Birds Friends: Games as a Service Story.