Angry Birds maker Rovio signs toy deal with Lego

[June 08, 2015] HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's Rovio said on Monday it had signed a deal with Danish toymaker Lego to launch a line of Angry Birds building blocks as a bid to revive its ailing licensing business based on the popular mobile game.

Rovio, whose 2014 earnings fell 73 percent due to a drop in licensing the Angry Birds brand on toys, clothing and sweets, said the release of the Lego toys would coincide with the premiere of its full-length Angry Birds movie in spring 2016.

The Angry Birds game, in which players use a slingshot to attack pigs who steal birds' eggs, is the No. 1 paid mobile app of all time, but the brand has been losing appeal and Rovio has struggled to produce new hit games.

The company is hoping the upcoming 3D movie will help the toy business turn back to growth.

Rovio recently cut about 110 jobs, or 14 percent of its workforce.

(Reporting by Anna Ercanbrack; editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Jason Neely)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.