March 8, 2012 – Espoo, Finland / International Space Station – Rovio Entertainment debuted the brand new Angry Birds game, Angry Birds Space, with a launch announcement that was literally out of this world! Working in cooperation with NASA, Rovio broadcast a video from the International Space Station in a global online announcement at the angrybirds.com/space website.
Angry Birds Space will launch simultaneously on iOS and Android, Mac and PC, animation, merchandise, and book publishing on March 22. The game hits the appstores with 60 puzzling levels, new Angry Birds characters, new superpowers, and new gameplay. More levels will be available both as free regular updates, as well as in-app purchases.
Rovio will showcase the new gameplay on the Samsung Galaxy Note at the SXSWi conference on March 9 in collaboration with Samsung Mobile.
First-ever game announcement from space
Speaking from the space station, Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA used Angry Birds Space to explain the unique properties of physics in space, including a demonstration of a catapult in zero gravity using an Angry Bird.
This is just the beginning of what will be a long and fruitful partnership between Rovio and NASA on educational efforts.
"This collaboration began with a simple Twitter exchange about birds and pigs in space, and it has grown into a tremendous outreach and education opportunity," said David Weaver, associate administrator for communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Games are fun and entertaining, but they also can be inspirational and informative. This ongoing collaboration with Rovio and Angry Birds is an exciting way to get people engaged with NASA's missions of exploration and discovery, and get students energized about future careers in science and technology."
"We focused on every detail in development of Angry Birds Space to build a special experience for our fans," says Peter Vesterbacka, CMO and Mighty Eagle of Rovio Entertainment. "I believe we have succeeded well with the game, and we wanted to create something as unique around our launch events. NASA has been the perfect partner for our Angry Birds Space programme, and we can't wait to work with them on creating more compelling educational experiences."
In keeping with the focus on education and fun, Rovio is also delighted to be partnering with National Geographic Books on the official companion book to the Angry Birds Space game.
New characters and gameplay
By taking the game galactic, Angry Birds Space retains the familiar elements of Angry Birds gameplay but gives them a unique twist in a variable gravity environment. From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, fans can have fun with physics as they try out new gameplay possibilities. The Angry Birds themselves have also transformed into superheroes, with new costumes and abilities.
Experimenting with physics has never been so much fun!
