Rovio has posted sales of €152m, more than double its revenue for 2011, as the Angry Birds reator continues its success as one of the world’s biggest mobile games makers.
The Finnish firm’s earnings before interest and taxes were €76.8m, up 64 percent from 2011.
In terms of ad revenue versus paid content, some 45% of Rovio’s revenue now coming from ‘consumer products’, whereas last year, that proportion was 30%.
The company was helped by the launch of four titles in the year: Angry Birds Space, Amazing Alex, Bad Piggies, and Angry Birds Star Wars.
The new games helped Rovio hit 1 billion downloads last May. It had 263 million monthly active users in December.
Angry Birds Star Wars proved to be the most successful and remains a top 10 game in Apple’s App Store.
The other Angry Birds-related games, Bad Piggies and Angry Birds Space, also saw success, with Bad Piggies ranked No. 31, just ahead of the original Angry Birds.
“Year 2012 was another record-breaking year for Rovio. We doubled our revenue with an EBIT margin of 50%, more than doubled our headcount, established new offices and a New Business Ventures unit,” said Rovio CFO Herkko Soininen in a statement. “Also, to protect our own, as well as our partners’ and our fans’ interests, we continue to invest heavily in brand protection globally.”
The Consumer Products business unit’s revenue for 2012 was more than three times the revenue of 2011 and accounted for 45% of Rovio’s total revenue. The number of employees grew from 224 to 518 during the year 2012.
“We have had a stellar start for this year. In addition to our successful games portfolio we recently launched our first Angry Birds Toons series through third party partners and our own in-game distribution channel. We will continue to strengthen our position in the entertainment business through continuing to innovate on our existing brands, exploring creating new IP as well as exploring opportunities with external parties,“ Mikael Hed said.
Rovio has intensified its efforts on the franchise, introducing an assortment of toys, clothes, backpacks, and even sodas bearing the Angry Birds name.
The company is also branching out into media with a cartoon and even a movie, which is slated for release in 2016.
