Rovio spins off books business as restructuring continues

Rovio has spun off its books business with the creation of new affiliate company, Kaiken Publishing. 

The decision is likely a result of the Angry Birds creator's renewed effort to become "leaner and more agile" - a philosophy that resulted in 213 layoffs, top-level resignations, and, more recently, the restructuring of the company's education operations. 

Going forward, Kaiken will be led by the Finnish-firm's longtime publishing director, Laura Nevanlinna, and will concentrate on children's and teen content, with a "strong focus" on Angry Birds. 

As well as supporting Rovio's flagship franchise, the publisher will continue to develop new young adult titles while also creating publishing programs for other licensors. 

Rovio's book operations first began back in 2011 with the release of The Bad Piggies Egg Recipe cookbook. Since then, the division has been responsible for the release and licensing of hundreds of books, which went on sale in over 50 countries.