Rovio aims to be "much bigger" than Disney
Rovio has transitioned from casual games developer to a full blown cultural force, and doesn't intend to stop.
According to Business Insider, chief managing officer Peter Vesterbacka said Rovio'ss goal is to be "much bigger" than its role model, Disney - a $24 billion media company.
Vesterbacka highlighted the launch of Angry Birds Space as one example of the cross-media push Rovio expects to power this growth.
"It's not just the launch of a game, it's the launch of a franchise. It's bigger than most movie launches in Hollywood. Rovio is one of the first brands to launch from the digital to the physical world," he said.
"Zynga is a game company. We stopped looking at ourselves as a game company. We sold 25 million plush toys last year. For us, it's about making Angry Birds available everywhere."
The executive noted that Rovio looks on its copycats as indicators of success.
"You go shopping in China, you see Angry Birds everywhere. We are the most copied brand in China, which means we are the most loved brand," he said.
"We aren't advocating piracy but we have millions of Chinese people who love Angry Birds."