Rovio Entertainment – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 11, 2021

Rovio and Burger King Deliver an Angry Birds WebAR Experience

Rovio Entertainment has managed to bring its Angry Birds franchise to most mediums, with a couple of virtual reality (VR) videogames as well as augmented reality (AR) titles under its belt. In its latest venture into immersive gaming, the company has teamed up with Burger King and AR specialist Zappar to offer an Angry Birds WebAR experience through promotional packaging.

Utilising Zappar’s WebAR tech, Burger King diners can access the Angry Birds experience by scanning QR codes on various items and meals. These range from King JR kids meals and other box packaging to plush toy tags and even signage at select Burger King locations.

Once the Angry Birds WebAR title starts players will see three eggs appear. Waves of Hatchlings will then try and steal them with players having to defend the eggs by tapping on the Hatchlings. While this will shoo them away, players can also deploy catapults that fire slime to hamper the Hatchlings efforts. After a while player will be rewarded with a unique power-up where the camera swaps to a selfie viewpoint. This allows players to blow away all the Hatchlings, safely returning all the eggs to the nest.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Zappar and Burger King to create this unique AR experience for Angry Birds fans,” said Katri Chacona, Director, Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment. “The accessibility of WebAR and wide availability across thousands of Burger King restaurants make this an incredible opportunity to connect with consumers in new ways.”

Zappar’s ZapWorks platform has powered numerous app-based AR campaigns for several years with its WebAR technology one of the most recent features. It means that brands don’t need an app for a particular marketing campaign as it can all be run on the web. Expect to see this type of promotion become far more commonplace as brands connect with customers, especially as 5G-enabled devices allow for faster streaming.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of WebAR, reporting back with further updates.

July 2, 2020

Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs’ Level Builder now Supports Online Sharing

Resolution Games has quite the selection of virtual reality (VR) titles under its belt, one of the best known franchise-wise being Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs in collaboration with Rovio Entertainment. The puzzle videogame arrived in early 2019, followed by a Level Builder towards the end of the year. That creative update only supported local gameplay. Now, the long-awaited online sharing mode has arrived.

With this update players can now share their creations with the world or download new one for endless gaming possibilities. The community can rank levels so others can browse and play new ones based on popularity, difficulty or uploaded time.

“Even from the beginning stages of developing our level builder tool, the goal has always been to empower the community to create their very own levels, however they want,” said Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games in a statement. “There’s an amazing sense of accomplishment when creating something within a game – especially in VR. Now, not only can players get this level of satisfaction, but they can take it a step further to share their work with the community to get the recognition deserved. Plus, with an infinite number of levels possible through the sharing feature, there’s no telling what kind of amazing creations the world will construct for endless hours of fun.”

If you’ve not played with the level builder yet the mode provides different blocks such as wood, ice and rock, as well as TNT, fans, boulders and or course pigs from the original videogame to create elaborate levels. Plus, there’s the option to select which birds can be used on that particular level.

“The Angry Birds community has been a very passionate group for the past ten years,” adds Sami Ronkainen, creative director at Rovio Entertainment. “Now that they are able to not only create but also share and discover new levels created by fellow fans, we can’t wait to see what the community comes up with.”

The Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs level builder update goes live today for Oculus Quest and Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index and Windows Mixed Reality via the Oculus, Steam and Viveport stores. The PlayStation VR version won’t be released today, however. Resolution Games has said it’ll be soon but there’s no date at the moment. When those details are released, VRFocus will let you know.

December 12, 2019

Get Creative in Angry Birds VR With the new Level Builder

When Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs arrived earlier this year Resolution Games and Rovio Entertainment proved that the addictive mobile gameplay could easily translate into virtual reality (VR). Yet it didn’t feel quite as endless as its phone-based cousin. That’s going to change today as a free update adds the much-anticipated Level Builder feature.

Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs

The level builder is unique to the VR experience as no previous Angry Birds videogame has featured the option. Using a spinnable circular table, players can use wood/ice/rock blocks to create all sorts of structures alongside various TNTs, fans, boulders, decoration blocks and more.

As well as the building materials, different pigs seen in the main levels can be placed inside/around each structure such as boss pigs. Players can also select which birds are available to slingshot at the structures and which teleportation points are available during construction. All levels are saved locally, appearing in their own custom level set to share with friends. Sharing online is slated to arrive next year.

“I think most of us have played a game and thought of something to push the creative envelope, like ‘I wish I could have an entire level of TNT!’,” said Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games in a statement. “By launching our new level builder tool in Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, fans now have the power of creation right at their fingertips. And, it’s just as intuitive and fun as building with blocks in your physical environment.”

“At a time when we’re celebrating 10 years since the release of the first Angry Birds mobile game, it’s awesome that fans can now create their own levels in VR,” said Sami Ronkainen, creative director of extended reality at Rovio Entertainment. “Over the years we’ve received a lot of fan requests for such a feature and look forward to seeing what cool creations they now create!”

VRFocus gave the original videogame a decent four-star review, saying: “Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs is Angry Birds just in VR, and that’s no bad thing, equally fun and frustrating as it ever was.”

Take a look at VRFocus‘ gameplay video for the level builder below and as further updates from Resolution Games regarding Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs are released we’ll let you know.

October 29, 2019

Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs Finally Soars Onto Android

At the beginning of 2019, there was a double whammy of immersive Angry Birds content from Rovio Entertainment and Resolution Games, Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs and Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs. The latter only came to iOS devices at the time. Today, that changes with an Android version due to be released today.

Angry Birds AR Structure Destroyed

Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs is still very much the same experience iOS users have known for the past six months, utilising the power of AR so that players can physically walk around those pig structures looking for weaknesses. Android players can also rely on the same trusty characters like Red and his mates, offering different strategic bonuses.

It’s worth remembering that as an AR videogame, Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs can be resized to suit a players environment. Only have a small tabletop, no problem, enjoy a tiny game of Angry Birds AR. Have a whole living room or more, why not scale things up. As you’ll probably know, structures can hide various goodies that aren’t always plainly obvious on first glance. Those green pigs can be hidden and so can useful TNT boxes. Being able to fully explore these 3D buildings at any size and angle should help to uncover their secrets.

Android players will have 78 levels to challenge them, making their way up to party city through the island’s jungle, desert, and frosty hideout areas. “In this special 10th anniversary year for Angry Birds, it’s awesome that we can offer fans novel ways to enjoy our classic slingshot gameplay. We’re delighted to now make this game available for Android users,” said Sami Ronkainen, Creative Director, Extended Reality at Rovio Entertainment in a statement.

Angry Birds AR Blue Bird

“Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs really illustrates the beauty of AR, allowing players to bring their favourite feathered friends into their own environments,” adds Tommy Palm, CEO of Resolution Games. “Whether they’re at home on a rainy day or at the park or bus stop, players can take the Angry Birds with them wherever they go.”

Download Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs from Google Store today for Google ARCore compatible devices. For further updates from Resolution Games, keep reading VRFocus.

September 19, 2019

Resolution Games Adds 13 new Spooky Levels to Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs

The Angry Birds franchise has had quite the resurgence in 2019, with a new movie and plenty of new videogames. One of the earliest was Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs by Resolution Games and Rovio Entertainment which launched in February. Today, the studios have released another update for the virtual reality (VR) title, adding 13 more levels.

Angry Birds VR

Back in March, 13 spooky levels were added to the videogame introducing a new boss pig, Dr. Frankenswine in the process. It’s this section which has been expanded, doubling the roster to 26 in total. These never-before-released levels, titled “Creepy Climb”, take knocking out Dr. Frankenswine and his crew of swine to a whole new level of difficulty. They also feature the Alchemy Bomb as well as lightning and rain to enhance the experience.

The new levels are free, supporting Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Additionally, the update now allows Oculus Quest and PlayStation VR owners to play the original 13 spooky levels called “Maliboo Beach”.

“When the game initially launched earlier this year, we focused on delivering the best possible VR game that would do Angry Birds the justice the franchise deserves,” said Tommy Palm, CEO and co-founder of Resolution Games in a statement. “And now, we’re happy to share the latest update that takes fans through even more levels in the game’s Spooky Mode.”

Angry Birds VR

There are now 78 levels to play through on Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs which VRFocus awarded a four-star review, saying: “Rovio Entertainment and Resolution Games have certainly played it safe with Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs. While there aren’t really any major surprises when it comes to content and gameplay the adaption to VR has worked superbly well, with the studios retaining the high production values they’re known for.”

While Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs offers a traditional gameplay approach in VR, for PlayStation VR owners there’s always The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure. This is a local multiplayer experience using the PlayStation social screen feature, with one person in VR while everyone else plays on the TV. VRFocus will continue its coverage of Angry Birds, reporting back with the latest immersive titles.

August 20, 2019

Review: The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure

Playing a board game with friends and family is a time-old tradition, with plenty of people out there probably able to remember tense games of Monopoly after a good meal. The digital age has dampened that spirit for this pastime somewhat, but at the same time helped it evolve and find a new audience. Thanks to features like PlayStation VR’s social screen that gaming essence has made it’s way to virtual reality (VR), in the form of The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

Developers have experimented with a number of social apps and videogames in VR, with one of VRFocus’ favourites being Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure, on the other hand, takes that camaraderie and puts a controller in everyone’s hand for some intense, vocal excitement.

The videogame is based on the recent movie, complimenting the cinematic release should you have seen it (it’s not actually necessary). The gist goes that the Angry Birds and the Pigs have called a truce to their fighting because of a new threat. In the process of dealing with this menace both groups end up on a submarine, and this is where the videogame takes place.

When it comes to the classic Angry Birds style mechanics from the mobile games the only inclusion is on the VR side, with players controlling the catapult. The aim is to keep the submarine in decent condition to complete the level, whilst scoring as many points as possible. And to do that you’ll need cooperation and decent communication – there’s no lone wolfing it here. That’s because what the VR player sees is different from what’s shown on the TV, offering a nice dynamic which keeps play interesting.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

As the VR player you’re the captain and therefore the one in control. You get an entire overview of the play area where your teammates are running around, able to help them by activating certain areas and picking stuff up (including them). Because you’re at a fixed central position manning the catapult there’s no movement to worry about, offering a comfortable experience allowing everyone to take turns in VR. Plus, as the captain, you’re also able to see outside. This is highly important as you’ll need to collect treasure for points, whilst destroying obstacles that could damage the sub.

On the flipside, to collect or destroy anything outside your crew needs to build it and place it in the correct area. However, there’s far more going on than just those couple of items, and as the levels progress can become an absolute haze of tasks for the social players to organise and complete. And this is where The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure really hooks you, it’s a ballet of Angry Birds mayhem because all the individual tasks are just so well intertwined with each other.

Developer XR Games has created a synergy to the whole experience, where everyone is sat on the end of their chairs/sofa trying to feed boxes into machines, TNT into a disposal pit and much more. All the while talking (or shouting) when something is about to go wrong, or unified relief when it all goes right. Completing the harder levels almost calls for a high five each time because everyone is so engrossed in the gameplay and invested in the outcome.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

It’s like one of those team-building exercises companies go on – just without the tedium and more fun. In fact, The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure would be far better at bringing colleagues together than any number of faux entertainment activities some workplaces insist on engaging in.

In total there are 30 levels to play through. This may not seem like a lot but they do get tough quite fast. Not too much that they get frustrating, yet in classic Angry Birds fashion achieving those all-important three golden stars can prove to be elusive.

XR Games has ensured that should your home be empty and everyone’s busy you can still play the title in solo mode. But to be honest you’re best sticking to a solid single-player adventure for those times. Save The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure for what its good at, all-round multiplayer enjoyment suitable for most ages and abilities.

80%

Awesome

Verdict

August 7, 2019

The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure Gets Physical in September

Yesterday, The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure videogame arrived exclusively for PlayStation VR via the PlayStation Store. One of the unique qualities of owning the headset is the possibility of buying titles as a physical disk – something no other virtual reality (VR) headset provides – and with The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure being a big IP launch, a retail store version will arrive in September.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

Developer XR Games teamed up with Perp Games to make the physical copy a reality, with European locations seeing a release on 6th September. In North America, the launch will take place on 13th September.

Working with Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Rovio Entertainment, XR Games wanted to create a local co-operative multiplayer for all the family, where one player dons the PlayStation VR while three others use the TV social screen and DualShock 4 controllers.

The aim of the videogame is to run and protect a submarine with the VR player the captain and everyone else the crew. Red and the other Angry Birds team up with the Pigs to take on a common enemy, needing to keep the submarine in motion. All of which means players are tasked with doing repairs, crafting torpedoes and storing treasure.

“At Sony Pictures Virtual Reality, we believe that VR should be social, cooperative and fun. We’re excited about XR Games’ unique take on The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR game because friends and frenemies alike can team up and work toward a common goal. I dare anyone to play this game and not have a blast,” said Jake Zim, SVP, Virtual Reality, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

As mentioned, the digital version of The Angry Birds Movie 2: VR Under Pressure is available, with The Angry Birds Movie 2 already out in the UK – the North American theatrical release takes place next week. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.

July 23, 2019

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure Lands on PlayStation VR in Two Weeks

Angry Birds fans have been inundated this year with the release of Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs and Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs, with The Angry Birds Movie 2 coming out next month. To coincide with the movie The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure now has a confirmed released date for PlayStation VR.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

Being developed by XR Games, The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure is all about local gameplay using the PlayStation VR social screen. The studio wants the title to be a great introduction to virtual reality (VR) entertainment whilst helping: “existing VR players to evangelize their technology to the people around them,” says Richard Boon, Senior Game Designer, XR Games on PlayStation Blog.

Designed as a couch co-op videogame, one player is in VR while three others use the TV and controllers. This time the action takes place under the sea, in a submarine in fact, with VR player as captain of the submarine. All the TV players are the crew, controlling characters such as Red, Chuck, and new Angry Bird ‘Silver’, tasked with doing repairs, crafting torpedoes and storing treasure.

Explaining more about the gameplay, Boon reveals: “The captain monitors event [sic] and grabs as much treasure as possible from the ocean, which the crew then store in the sub. [The VR player] has a gameplay tool called the Magnashot, which is a classic Angry Birds slingshot with a magnet in it. It can suck stuff up and throw it back out – including the crew players. This gives the captain a lot of power. But there are things that only the crew can do, such as load machines and move explosive crates.”

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

As a social videogame The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure is all about communication, which can get hectic when four people are likely to be shouting. But this is a slapstick style videogame, created to be fun rather than stressful.

Rovio Entertainment and XR Games will be releasing The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure exclusively for PlayStation VR on Tuesday, 6th August 2019. For any further updates ahead of launch, keep reading VRFocus.

June 3, 2019

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure to be a Summer Release for PlayStation VR

Rovio Entertainment’s massive videogame franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with even more virtual reality (VR) content planned. With The Angry Birds Movie 2 due for release in August, Sony Pictures Virtual Reality, Rovio and XR Games have announced a VR tie-in, The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure, exclusive to PlayStation VR.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

The VR title will be a local social experience leveraging PlayStation VR’s social screen feature. A couch co-op videogame, one player is in VR while three others use the TV. This time, however, there won’t be any buildings to destroy or green pigs to attack.

Following the theme of the movie, in The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure players find themselves inside a submarine working alongside the pigs for the very first time. The story goes that Red and the birds set aside their differences with Leonard and the pigs because of a new shared new feathered foe that threatens to destroy both of their islands.

Gameplay revolves are the VR player taking on the role of Leonard, the submarine’s captain, with everyone else controlling the sub’s crew, including Red, Chuck, and new movie character Silver.

“We wanted a console VR game that could replicate the humour and action of The Angry Birds Movie 2 and take players inside the narrative of the new movie, where the birds and pigs have to set aside their differences and actually work together. XR Games, with support from Rovio and Sony Pictures, are creating a genre-defining VR game that will keep the entire family laughing and playing together,” said Joe Lawson, Head of Entertainment Content and Movie Program at Rovio Entertainment in a statement.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 VR: Under Pressure

“VR is an exciting medium, but there are not yet enough games that can be enjoyed with family and friends in the real world,” said Bobby Thandi, Founder and CEO at XR Games. “We saw an opportunity to introduce new players to PS VR by making a game in which VR and TV players have different viewpoints and responsibilities within the same funny, team-spirited game. Rovio’s Angry Birds IP, Sony Pictures ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ film, and PlayStation VR’s Social Screen feature all combine to give the perfect shared VR experience in your home. We’re super-excited to launch our game alongside the film’s release this summer!”

The film is scheduled for release on 2nd August 2019 in the UK. When a precise date for the videogame is revealed, VRFocus will let you know.

April 29, 2019

Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs Lands on iOS

The Angry Birds franchise has massively outgrown its original mobile origins, with Rovio Entertainment creating all sorts of merchandise, spin-off videogames and even a film. Thanks to a collaboration with Resolution Games Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs was created, and now there’s an augmented reality (AR) version for owners of Apple phones and tablets.

Angry Birds AR Structure Destroyed

The classic Angry Birds formula is still there, it’s just been tweaked and refined for a 3D world. The actual gameplay in Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs works in a similar fashion to its virtual reality (VR) cousin, whereby players can fully view the pig fortresses before launching their angry birds at the structure. The major difference, its AR so players get that mobile freedom to play anywhere, on a table top, the floor, any suitable flat surface.

Additionally, this also means that AR players have full freedom to walk around each structure, rather than the select teleportation points in the VR version. Which is perfect for getting in close to find weaknesses, hidden items, or to line up that perfect shot. Then players can step back and watch the destruction unfold.

“We’ve received a great reaction following the announcement of Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs,” said Kati Levoranta, CEO at Rovio Entertainment in a statement. “Now that the game is available globally, we’re excited to see how fans react once they get their hands on it and experience how seamlessly Angry Birds slingshot gameplay translates to augmented reality.”

“AR creates interactive experiences like no other for gamers within their own environments,” adds Tommy Palm, co-founder and CEO of Resolution Games. “And, when you mix the rich character engagements and gameplay dynamics Angry Birds fans have come to love, we think it’s a recipe for an incredible amount of fun, and we can’t wait to see what players think.”

Download Angry Birds AR: Isle of Pigs from the App Store now, completely free of charge. And there’s even more in store for Angry Birds fans in 2019, with a movie sequel, The Angry Birds Movie 2, arriving in August, as well as the 10th anniversary to celebrate. As further details are released, VRFocus will keep you updated.