SEGA - Rovio acquisition: Japanese giant officially completed the $775 million deal

In the recent development of the SEGA – Rovio acquisition saga, the Japanese video game giant has just announced that the buyout process has been completed for Rovio Entertainment Oyj.

“Welcome to the SEGA family, @Rovio! We’re so thrilled to celebrate Rovio becoming a member of the SEGA Group. Get ready for exciting adventures ahead! ?,” the company announces on its Twitter handle. 

Rovio Entertainment is a Finnish studio with plenty of impressive titles on its belt, mostly on mobile, including the Angry Birds franchise, Bad Piggies, and Need for Speed: Carbon back in 2006. The deal, which was first announced in April, was valued at €706 million ($775 million).

Welcome to the SEGA family, @Rovio!

We’re so thrilled to celebrate Rovio becoming a member of the SEGA Group. Get ready for exciting adventures ahead! ? pic.twitter.com/LV5QkpZrrE

— SEGA (@SEGA) August 18, 2023

SEGA is a Japanese video game company known for its popular franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, and Yakuza. The company has been looking to expand its mobile gaming business, and the acquisition of Rovio is a major step in that direction.

“Historically, as represented by the “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, SEGA has released countless video game titles to various gaming platforms. I am confident that, through combination of both companies’ brands, characters, fanbase, as well as corporate culture and functionality, there will be significant synergies created going forward,” says SEGA’s president Haruki Satomi at the time of the announcement.  

“Both the management team and the employees are enthused by the offer. Sega is a company with a long history of developing and nurturing vibrant IP’s and as the creators and custodians of the iconic Angry Birds brand, that is very important to us,” Rovio’s CEO, Alexandre Pelletier-Normand, chimes in.