Rovio confirms acquisition of Casey's Contraptions IP

Angry Birds creator Rovio has confirmed to Gamasutra that it has acquired the rights to the Casey's Contraptions IP from developers Snappy Touch and Mystery Coconut. The company yesterday teased a new release for the physics-based puzzler as its first title outside of the Angry Birds franchise. Rovio's VP of franchise development Ville Heijari today told Gamasutra that the company has indeed acquired all rights for the brand. "Working with Noel [Llopis, Snappy Touch founder] and Miguel [A. Friginal, Mystery Coconut founder] has been fantastic, and this is a game that we all fell in love with from the first play," said Heijari. "The gameplay is a perfect fit in our arsenal with its approachable, fun and highly addictive take on the physics puzzler genre. We are currently reworking the title to enhance it, and getting ready to re-introduce it in a true 'expect the unexpected' Rovio style launch to an even larger audience." Heijari noted that the original iPad title has now been removed from the App Store, as "we plan to bring the new game to the market this summer, starting initially on the iOS and Android platforms and extending to further platforms rapidly after that." [UPDATE: Rovio CEO Mikael Hed has told Finland's national television company in an interview that the new game based on the Casey's Contraptions assets will be called Amazing Alex. He also explained that the game will have educational elements to it. "The quality pressure is high. We want to maintain the high standard Angry Birds fans have come to enjoy," he said.]