Angry Birds maker Rovio cuts jobs by 16%

Mobile game developer Rovio Entertainment has said it plans to cut some 16% of its workforce amid signs that its Angry Birds game is losing some of its lustre.

CEO Mikael Hed said in a statement that Rovio expects to cut up to 130 jobs in Finland as the company had been building its team on assumptions of “faster growth than have materialised”.

The Espoo-based company currently has about 800 employees.

Privately owned Rovio has grown by double-digit numbers following the 2009 launch of Angry Birds and the wide-ranging merchandise that followed.

However, its earnings growth has stalled in the past year as industry reports suggest Angry Birds has lost some of its popularity.

Rovio estimates more than 200 million people play Angry Birds.