Rovio to launch 'Bad Piggies'

Rovio, the Finnish makers of the world's most-downloaded mobile app, "Angry Birds", will launch a new game called "Bad Piggies" on September 27, the company said Tuesday. "This innovative game turns the franchise on its head by letting the fans play as the pigs," Rovio said in a statement. The "Angry Birds" game involves using slingshots to launch little birds at fortresses built by green pigs -- an absurdist, addictive game that quickly became the most successful mobile game in history, and which spawned an entire franchise of merchandise and media tie-ins. "Bad Piggies gives you the chance to play as the second-most-loved characters in the Angry Birds universe, and explore this rich world through their green eyes," Rovio said. The new game will be launched on iOS, Android and Mac on September 27, and versions for Windows Phone, Windows 8 and PCs will follow at a later date, the company said. "Angry Birds" reached more than one billion downloads in May, according to Rovio. The company published a net profit of 48 million euros ($60 million) on sales of 75.4 million euros for 2011, and has said it aims to seek a stock market listing by the end of 2013.