It is really the end of an era for the players of classic Angry Birds on Android as Rovio confirms it will delist the game from Google Play Store on 23 February 2023. Since its launch in 2009, the game has grown to become a fan favorite.
This is coming weeks after Blizzards pulled the plug in China, leaving millions of World of Warcraft players biting their nails. The original Angry Birds game is known to inspire the series and spinoffs. A sort of consolation is that anyone that owns the game can still play it on their Android device.
However, players who still own the game on Android should not expect further updates from the game. Therefore, a time may come in the future when it will no longer be compatible with the available Android version of newer smartphones.
On Apple’s App Store, the game will be renamed Red’s First Flight pending further review. The sad news was announced by Rovio Entertainment, the game developer, on Twitter.
“We are extremely grateful to fans who have shown their love of the brand and this game from the beginning,” read part of the note from the developers. “We hope those fans can continue to bring that passion to our live games such as Angry Birds 2, Angry Birds Friends, and Angry Birds Journey, where our goal every day is to craft the best possible experience for players.”
On Twitter, @RowdyCMoore said that Angry Birds 2 would have been a great alternative to the classic except for the forceful display of microtransactions and the incessant game crashes. Moore was of the opinion that they should have fixed the problem rather than venting their frustration on the classic.
Why Rovio is pulling the plug on Angry Birds
While the reason for the delisting was not clearly explained, the developers suggested that Angry Birds was making it difficult for players to discover other games on their roster. This was implied in the first sentence of the announcement.
“We have reviewed the business case of Rovio Classics: Angry Birds, and due to the game’s impact on our wider games portfolio, we have decided that the classics will be unlisted from Google Play Store on Thursday, February 23,” read the first three lines of the announcement.
Many users were left distraught because the reason given by the developer was shockingly selfish. In this case, the developer gave little thought to the feelings of the players who have stuck with them for over two decades.
Another Twitter user with the handle @BeforeThatCold shared an explanation from Shawn “Buck” Buckelew, Rovio’s Senior Brand and Community Development Manager. According to Buckelew, Rovio wants players to look beyond Rovio Classics: Angry Birds.
Therefore, the intention is that getting rid of the classic game will force players to look elsewhere—and hopefully find the other Angry Birds on their portfolio. However, Buckelew sounded a warning that “if those other games do not improve and grow, then the outlook of the entire company changes”.
Rovio will need to work harder to convince players to explore their other games like the Angry Birds Journey which tasks players with launching birds into structures to collect items and defeat pigs.
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Fans of Rovio Classics: Angry Birds can still download the game for safe keeping on their Android devices before it is taken down.
Fans react to Rovio’s thoughtless decision to kill Angry Birds
Fans of the classic Angry Birds have taken to social media to express their disgust about Rovio’s decision on the game. A user with the handle @MorsGames said Rovio just wants to force players to buy microtransactions present in the other games.
In reply to that tweet, @leelo124 with the name Conrad Owens suggests that the issue may go beyond just the microtransactions. According to Owens, Rovio seems to be in a desperate situation where they want to make more money through ads which are rife in Angry Birds 2.
Perhaps, if more people are playing the classic Angry Birds instead of the newer titles Rovio should have taken a cue that it may mean that their newer titles aren’t so good. So, instead of delisting the classic, they would have just put more effort into creating more appealing games. This opinion was echoed by @desgamesyt.
Another fan pointed out a secret that many players of the Angry Birds on PC may not already know. According to @Efusil_H, the authentication servers for the PC game have gone offline permanently. The implication is that players can enter anything on the “unlock full game” screen.
Rovio seems to have taken a firm stand this time on the classic Angry Birds—and it seems there is no going back. However, only time will tell if they will bow to pressure from fans or like in the past make a U-turn. Since this is most likely about money, we just have to wait for their next financial report to see if their decision was justified.
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