Rovio Hopes to Use The Force as It Pairs Angry Birds and “Star Wars”

Rovio announced details on Monday on its plans for a “Star Wars”-themed Angry Birds game, due out next month.

Set to arrive Nov. 8, Angry Birds Star Wars will feature traditional Birds game play with the characters and settings from the Lucasfilm movie franchise.

The move will also give the companies the opportunity to sell merchandise, with tons of “Star Wars” and Angry Birds-themed gear slated to go on sale starting Oct. 28. Clothing, costumes and action figures are all on tap.

It’s part of Rovio’s strategy to continue tapping the popularity of the birds, while also branching out into all-new titles like Amazing Alex and spinoffs like the recently released Bad Piggies.

Bad Piggies has shot to the top of the sales charts, but whether it will be a long-term hit remains to be seen. Amazing Alex had a big launch, but has fallen out of the Top 100 titles.

In a good sign for Microsoft, the game will be available for Windows Phone and Windows 8, in addition to Macs, standard PCs, Kindle Fires and, of course, iOS and Android devices.

Via: All Things D