Rovio catapults Angry Birds to tinseltown

Rovio is reported to be approaching Hollywood studios with a view to make it’s iPhone hit Angry Birds into a movie.

According to entertainment publication Variety, the Finnish studio is also considering the possibility of TV shows, toys and comic books.

According to the source, members of Rovio have been visiting Hollywood studios in recent weeks, weighing up ancillary offers.

As confirmed by Rovio, its trip the movie industry’s heartland is based on the fact that guaranteeing success on the iPhone is a hard thing to do, meaning it is best to take advantage of the potential of a hit as much as possible when you have one in your hands.

"It doesn’t make sense [to produce a slate of different games] when you have a hit of any caliber," CEO of Rovio Mobile Mikael Hed, told Daily Variety. "When you create brand equity, to do that again would be a difficult task rather than nurture and build around what you have."

The move also appears to be part of a new model of licensing game IP that reflects the changing template of game distribution and publication that the iPhone has introduced. Traditionally a game’s release is the focus of such activity, taking advantage of marketing profile.

However, with iPhone games sometimes rising to fame weeks after launch, Rovio’s move on Hollywood may be the start of a paradigm shift in proccess that sees developers harnessing the revenue potential of a success story long after a title’s debut.