Big Layoffs at Angry Birds Developer

Sad days are ahead for Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish developer of the mega-hit Angry Birds franchise.  Announced this morning on the official company website, the company has announced that it is laying off 213 people – roughly 30% of their total workforce – and that 198 of the layoffs are happening at their headquarters in Espoo, Finland.

News that layoffs were coming originally broke in August, when Rovio announced that it was opening negotiations with it’s employees to lay off up to 250 people.  This follows last year’s layoffs of 110 people last October.  The full press release is included below:

Rovio Entertainment Ltd has concluded its employee negotiations announced on August 26 this year. As a result, Rovio will reduce its workforce by 213 positions.

Rovio Entertainment will restructure and concentrate its activities around three primary business areas: games, media and consumer products. The negotiations applied to the whole organization, excluding those working on the production of the The Angry Birds Movie in the United States and Canada. The company will actively provide career support for those made redundant as a result of the reorganization.

Source: Rovio Entertainment