Angry Birds Rio to Be Offered Exclusively Through Amazon’s App Store; Ad-Free Versions of Original, Seasons Too
It’s begun, folks. Amazon’s app store is starting to gain traction and now they’re attracting one of the biggest game developers in the mobile market – Rovio. They’ve announced that their Angry Birds Rio title – a companion game to the animated movie – will launch exclusively in their app store.
This isn’t a move that’s new to Rovio as they launched the original Angry Birds for Android title exclusively in GetJar’s store. The difference between that launch and this one is they did not specify whether or not this exclusivity is timed. We don’t know if we’ll ever see Angry Birds Rio in the Android market.
It’s not so bad if you don’t mind playing with ads, though, as this game will be just as free as the rest of them. If you’d rather pay to get rid of those ads, though, you’ll need to bypass the Android market to do so – something we know many of you are not particular fans of.
And if you want to get rid of the ads on those other titles, then you’ll need to go through Amazon for that too. Bummer, right? We thought Rovio would be extending that option to those of us who prefer to stick to Google’s official marketplace, but assumptions can only get us so far – they still kept their promise of offering ad-free versions. Read on for full press details. [EuroDroid]
Angry Birds Android on Amazon App Store.
AUSTIN, Texas/ESPOO, Finland– March 14, 2011– Rovio today announced that the highly anticipated game Angry Birds Rio will be introduced for the Android platform exclusively in the Amazon Appstore. Developed in conjunction with Twentieth Century Fox, Angry Birds Rio features the animated stars of the studio’s upcoming motion picture, RIO. Additionally, for the first time ever on the Android platform, fans of Angry Birds games will have the opportunity to purchase and download ad-free versions of Angry Birds and Angry Birds Seasons. Both will debut only in the Amazon Appstore.
“The Android platform has seen phenomenal growth, and it’s great that new avenues for app distribution are opening up,” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio.“The openness of the Android platform works for the benefit of consumers and developers alike. It has been delightful to team up with Amazon to bring the Angry Birds franchise to this great new application marketplace.”
“Amazon is thrilled to work with a leading developer like Rovio in offering our customers Angry Birds Rio for Android exclusively in the Amazon Appstore,” said Aaron Rubenson, category leader for Amazon Appstore.“We think Angry Birds Rio is sure to be an instant customer favorite.”
“Angry Birds Rio is a fun and interactive way to introduce millions of fans to the exciting world of ‘RIO,’ and we are proud to work with both Rovio and Amazon to make this experience available to users on the Android platform,” said Peter Levinsohn, president of new media and digital distribution for Twentieth Century Fox.“The Amazon Appstore will be a great new way for consumers to download all their favorite Android apps, and we’re excited to offer Angry Birds Rio as one of the first pieces of content to be made available to consumers through this new store.”
In Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to the magical city of Rio, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to save their friends, Blu and Jewel– two rare macaws and the stars of the upcoming Fox motion picture, RIO. From the creators of Fox’s blockbuster ICE AGE motion picture franchise, RIO debuts in theaters worldwide on April 15, 2011. Angry Birds Rio will launch with 60 dedicated levels, with more content to follow via app updates.
Angry Birds Rio will be available for download on Android phones and tablets at amazon.com/angrybirds.