Angry Birds phenomenon ‘spawns Starbucks deal’

Angry Birds creators Rovio is reportedly in talks with Starbucks to offer social gaming leaderboards to customers.

The new promotion will offer Starbucks patrons a chance to compete with each other for high scores, the Guardian has reported.

"It’s tying in the real world with the virtual world,” said Rovio senior vice president Wibe Wagemans.

"Retailers get new customers who’ve not been to their stores yet, and repeat customers."

The mobile games developer has already tested leaderboard promotions via a pilot scheme in the US with book retailer Barnes & Noble, and Wagemans claimed that around 10,000 people spent more than 30 minutes playing at these stores.

"There are retailers out there who have a lot to gain by increasing the time spent at their location, and increasing the money spent there," he said.

Angry Birds has been a massive worldwide hit since its release in 2009 and has been downloaded over 350million times.

It has spawned franchise merchandising, such as fluffy toys, which are said to have sold some one million units a month.