Angry Birds dev Rovio plots Ireland move

Angry Birds developer Rovio is considering moving its main headquarters to Dublin from Finland, the studio’s CEO has revealed.

Speaking to the Irish Times, Mikael Hed said the company was looking at potentially setting up its offices in Ireland to take advantage of the country’s generous low tax rate, which currently sits at 12.5 per cent.

This is compared to Finland’s 24 per cent rate, almost double that of Ireland.

Rovio currently employs more than 400 developers at its Espoo base.

“The Irish authorities have been very active and we have been promoting that,” said Hed.

“We are considering it. It is something that we need to look at. For now we have stayed in Finland. But it is on top of our minds.

“If we did make that decision then it would be a natural thing to do to have some production in Ireland also.”

Rovio has recently begun expanding its portfolio away from the Angry Birds franchise, which has been downloaded more than one billion times across all platforms, by purchasing the rights to puzzle game Casey’s Contraptions, which has been rebranded Amazing Alex.

The studio is also believed to be looking at other titles to add to its roster.