Gamers get 'Angry Birds' mooncakes in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival
Ready, aim, fire ... into Shanghai foodies' stomachs. These bird-shaped mooncakes will be on sale next month.Everyone's favorite cartoon birds have switched their target from the green pigs' fortresses to cracking the world's fastest-growing market, and their first strategy is to make themselves mooncakes.
"Angry Birds" game and mooncakes
Rovio Entertainment, the creator of the "Angry Birds" (愤怒的小鸟) franchise, announced at ChinaJoy, Asia's largest game show, that it will release a series of "Angry Birds" mooncakes to satisfy the appetite of bird-loving Chinese foodies.
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How much the mooncakes will cost -- and where they'll be sold -- have yet to be confirmed, but it's likely they will be shaped as different angry birds.
A special edition of "Angry Birds", named “Moon Festival,” is set to release next month, coinciding with this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on September 12.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival episode will be available on all of the
current 'Angry Birds' platforms, excluding Windows Phone," Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio’s chief marketing officer, told163.com. "We will release more Chinese-themed episodes in the
future."
"Angry Birds" into China
Mooncakes and "Moon Festival" are only Rovio's first steps into the Chinese market. The Finland-based game developer announced in Shanghai last week it would officially open up corporate and marketing operations in China, the world's second-largest iPhone app market.
“China has great potential for growth, but just as exciting is the opportunity to build a creative franchise, a marriage of virtual and real life, that is special for China and exciting for our Chinese fans,” said Vesterbacka.
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Rovio is forecasting 100 million "Angry Birds" downloads in China by the end of 2011, and the ultimate goal for the video game developer is to make Angry Birds the new "Mickey Mouse" or "Super Mario" in China.
Instead of directly promoting the puzzle video game to millions of Chinese players, Rovio has taken a step back and focused on pushing "Angry Birds" products, such as plush toys, sneakers, T-shirts and bags.
Retail stores
Promotional Partners Worldwide (PPW), the licensing representative of "Angry Birds", has already issued a collection of "Angry Birds" sneakers in China.
Priced at RMB 89 per pair, the shoes were marketed exclusively on Letao.com (乐淘网), a dedicated shoe-selling website. However they sold out within a week.
"We are planning 'Angry Birds' retail stores in Shanghai and Hong Kong," said Yang Xuemei (杨雪梅) , PPW's business development officer. "One sample store will open soon in Shanghai, but the details are yet to be confirmed."
According to Yang, the "Angry Birds" derivative products will share a similar price tier with cartoon fashion brand Paul Frank.
Rovio is not the only video game company that has announced it will enter the Middle Kingdom.
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San Francisco-based social network game developer Zynga and up-and-coming Japanese game company Eitarosoft have both announced that they have officially set up business in China.
