Angry Birds Go was a kart racing game developed by Rovio Entertainment as part of the Angry Birds franchise. The game was first released in December 2013 and was available on multiple platforms including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. However, in 2019 Rovio announced that it would be shutting down the servers for Angry Birds Go, essentially discontinuing the game.
The Rise and Fall of Angry Birds Go
When Angry Birds Go first launched in 2013, it was riding high on the popularity of the Angry Birds franchise. The classic Angry Birds games had been extremely successful, so Rovio looked to branch out into new genres. Kart racing games were very popular on mobile at the time, so Angry Birds Go was likely an attempt to capitalize on that trend.
In the first month after launch, Angry Birds Go was downloaded over 10 million times. It generated a good amount of revenue through in-app purchases and ads. However, the initial excitement around the game soon fizzled out. Downloads and revenue began to decline over the next few years.
There are a few factors that contributed to the downfall of Angry Birds Go:
- Highly saturated market – There were many kart racing games on mobile already, leading to stiff competition.
- Pay-to-win mechanics – The game used in-app purchases allowing players to upgrade their karts, giving an advantage to paying players.
- Lack of originality – At its core, Angry Birds Go did not offer much different from other kart racers.
- Technical issues – The game had bugs and performance problems, especially on older devices.
So while Angry Birds Go benefitted initially from the Angry Birds name, it failed to create a compelling and sustainable product to maintain relevance in the long-term. With revenues dwindling, Rovio decided to pull the plug on the game’s servers.
Why Rovio Shut Down Angry Birds Go
In December 2019, Rovio announced it was shutting down the servers for Angry Birds Go on March 3, 2020. While not explicitly stated, there are a few likely reasons behind this decision:
- Declining revenue and usage – As already mentioned, Angry Birds Go saw decreasing revenue and traffic following its initial surge in popularity. With such declines, it likely became financially unviable for Rovio to continue supporting servers and updating the game.
- Increased costs – Running and maintaining servers is an ongoing expense for a game publisher. As revenue dropped, these costs likely became too high to justify.
- Focus on newer games – Rovio has released multiple new games in the years since Angry Birds Go first launched. The company likely decided to shift its resources and development efforts towards their newer titles.
- Complexity of operation – With players on different platforms and regions, running such a multiplayer game had become more complex over the years. Shutting it down likely provided some operational relief for Rovio.
Essentially, Angry Birds Go was no longer generating enough money to warrant continued support. While some fans were understandably disappointed by the shutdown, it made financial sense for Rovio given the game’s dwindling popularity.
Impact of Shutting Down Angry Birds Go
The discontinuation of Angry Birds Go had the following impacts:
- Players lost access to a once popular mobile kart racing game
- In-game purchases made by players were rendered useless
- The competitive multiplayer mode was no longer playable as online functions ceased
- Fans of the Angry Birds franchise lost an active tie-in game
- Rovio could focus resources on their remaining roster of games
- Staff and resources working on Angry Birds Go maintenance and updates could be reallocated
The shutdown was undoubtedly disappointing for fans still active in the game. Some spent money on in-app purchases which they then lost the benefits of. However, Angry Birds Go was only one of many Rovio mobile games featuring the Angry Birds characters. So players still had other options to get their Angry Birds fix.
For Rovio as a games publisher, shutting down Angry Birds Go provided an opportunity to streamline operations. Overall it was likely a reasonable business decision given how much the game’s performance had deteriorated. However, they may have lost some brand loyalty from fans by shutting down a once popular mobile game.
Could Angry Birds Go Have Been Saved?
Once a mobile game starts rapidly declining in revenue and engagement, it is difficult to turn things around. However, here are some ways Rovio potentially could have tried to save Angry Birds Go:
- Launching a major revamp of the game adding new content and features to reignite interest.
- Adding better social features to strengthen the multiplayer community.
- Reducing in-app purchase prices to make it feel less “pay-to-win.”
- Expanding to new platforms to reach more potential players.
- Tying gameplay rewards and unlocks to the console Angry Birds games to encourage crossover play.
- Running promotions and in-game events on a regular basis to bring lapsed players back.
However, revitalizing old mobile games takes substantial development resources. Given that Angry Birds Go was likely only providing a small fraction of revenue compared to Rovio’s newer titles, further investment may not have provided a worthwhile return.
Conclusion
The story of Angry Birds Go exemplifies the unpredictable nature of the mobile gaming market. A game can catapult to success but end up rapidly fading away in a matter of a few years. For Rovio, Angry Birds Go went from having over 10 million downloads in its first month to being shut down just 6 years later.
The reasons for its demise were a combination of saturating competition, monetization issues, lack of originality, and technical problems. As revenues and engagement dropped, it simply didn’t make financial sense for Rovio to continue maintaining servers and updating the game.
The shutdown had some clear impacts like disappointed fans, useless in-app purchases, and discontinued multiplayer. However, Rovio likely made the right business decision given how poorly the game was performing. While Angry Birds Go couldn’t be resuscitated, the era of Angry Birds mobile gaming lives on through Rovio’s many other titles.