Angry Birds lands at retail

The most popular game in the world is coming to retail.

Rovio Entertainment has signed up Focus Multimedia as the exclusive distributor for the Angry Birds series.The deal covers PC versions of all three games in the franchise for UK and Ireland, South Africa, plus Australia and New Zealand.

It will kick off with the original Angry Birds on November 25th, featuring a budget SRP of 10.20.

This will be followed by 20th Century Fox’s movie tie-in Angry Birds Rio, due before Christmas. Angry Birds Seasons will follow in 2012.

The first Angry Birds game has been downloaded more than half a billion times. The franchise has also branched out into merchandise over the past year, with 10m Angry Birds toys shipped worldwide. Until now these plushes and T-shirts were the only way retailers could tap into the Angry Birds craze.

Boxed retail is another way to reach more audience,” Rovio spokesperson Ville Heijari told MCV. Digital and mobile are still at the core of our business, but boxed retail is a good addition for taking the brand forward.”

Focus Multimedia’s MD Craig Johnson added: Angry Birds is everywhere, successfully penetrating ever deeper into the mainstream on a daily basis.We’re thrilled to be Rovio’s distributor.”