Anguished Birds: Rovio Net Profit Falls 52% in 2013

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Internet video personality Rosanna Pansino attends the Angry Bird Stella brand launch at Little Cupcake Bakery on Saturday, April 26, 2014, in New York.

Image: Andy Kropa/Associated Press

By Todd Wasserman2014-04-28 13:08:38 UTC

Angry Birds creator Rovio's net profit fell 52% in 2013 as revenues remained fairly flat, sparking concerns that the franchise may be losing steam.

Net profit for the year was $37.3 million compared to $77 million in 2012. Revenues were $216.3 million, up slightly from $211 in 2012. In a press release, Rovio CFO Herkko Soininen described 2013 as a "foundation-building year" in which the company invested in new business areas like animation and video distribution and introduced new business models in games.

"With these investments we have been gearing up for the future growing markets," Soininen said. Rovio also increased its head count from 500 to 800.

See also: How Rovio Evolves From Game Maker to Entertainment Juggernaut

The company is planning to release an Angry Birds animated theatrical release in July 2016. Rovio's ToonsTV has already logged 2 billion views and now sports 42 Angry Birds Toons episodes.

Released in late 2009, Angry Birds has now been downloaded more than 2 billion times. However, the title and its various iterations have been one-upped by newer competitors including the now-defunct Flappy Bird and Candy Crush Saga. At this writing, the top Angry Birds game was at No. 407 in Apple's App Store, according to App Annie.

Topics: angry birds, Business, Gaming, rovio