The Slingshot Formula

How Angry Birds Launched Their Way from Indie Game to Global Icon

De: Pascal Clarysse

Billions of downloads. Global recognition. Presence in Hollywood, Netflix, Roblox, Minecraft and LEGO. How many broken eggs along the way?

The Slingshot Formula is the definitive behind-the-scenes analysis into the business tactics, marketing genius and wild stunts that facilitated an unknown startup company to turn the mobile game Angry Birds into a true pop culture phenomenon.

In 2009, a small independent video game studio in Finland called Rovio was on the brink of bankruptcy. It employed eighteen young people, none of whom had any previous corporate experience. By the time their 52nd mobile game, Angry Birds, comes around, it is make-or-break time for the company. Over the following four months, Angry Birds got downloaded one million times on the Apple App Store and became the next mobile hit. The simple (but mightily addictive) mobile game would proceed to change the course of its creators' lives forever. In just a few years, the game flew to 4 billion downloads and slingshot its way into cinemas around the world.

More than a decade later the brand became nothing short of a phenomenon. The mobile games have several billions of downloads and hold a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. Angry Birds has evolved from a mobile game into a globally recognized entertainment brand and a pop culture icon. Acquired by Sega in 2023, the brand is about to embark on a renewed global launch.

The small startup from Finland has grown their workforce from 18 to 800, with offices spanning across 4 continents. How did Rovio do it? Filled with exclusive stories and insider tips, The Slingshot Formula serves as the maverick playbook of what-to-do and what-not-to-do when navigating fast lane success in the rapidity of the digital era.

©2025 Pascal Clarysse (P)2025 Hachette Book Group Audio