Longtime Angry Birds frontman Peter Vesterbacka is leaving Rovio

Finnish developer Rovio is saying goodbye this week to longtime Angry Birds frontman Peter Vesterbacka, who is stepping down as chief marketing officer to focus on being an entrepreneur.

Vesterbacka has served at Rovio since 2010 in a number of roles (including CEO) and has been a prominent Angry Birds advocate for years, making his exit the latest in a notable string of high-profile departures and layoffs at the company.

At GDC earlier this year Rovio games chief Wilhelm Taht told Gamasutra that "we had to restructure, had to lay off a fair amount of employees" as part of a transition to a leaner, meaner Rovio focused on games-as-a-service. Now, the company is publicly wishing Vesterbacka "the best of luck" as he transitions back into the startup scene.

"While I remain a Rovio shareholder – and the biggest Angry Birds fan – I am even more excited about getting back to my startup roots," Vesterbacka stated today in a Rovio blog post announcing his departure.

Going forward, he will no longer work at the company but will "continue to work closely with Rovio chairman Kaj Hed, with the aim of building new success stories."