VIDEO GAMES: Rovio And Lucasfilm Announce ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS II

Rovio Entertainment Ltd and Lucasfilm Ltd announced today a continued collaboration on the Angry Birds Star Wars franchise with Angry Birds Star Wars II, launching September 19th in app stores worldwide.

Angry Birds Star Wars II will follow the story of the three prequel Star Wars movies, including the introduction of never-before-seen Angry Birds Star Wars characters. For the first time in history, players can choose to “Join the Pork Side” and play as one of the villainous pigs.

“Angry Birds Star Wars was a blockbuster hit for us and Lucasfilm with over 100 million downloads since its release. We are thrilled to be able to introduce the exciting next chapter in the Angry Birds Star Wars saga to our fans around the world,” said Jami Laes, Executive Vice President of Games at Rovio Entertainment. “Some of the most amazing character additions are versions of young Anakin, Mace Windu and Darth Maul. Hasbro’s TELEPODS technology also provides a great way to extend the experience beyond the app and bring a whole new dimension to the gameplay.”

The TELEPODS line from Hasbro brings an additional interactive layer of gameplay and content to Angry Birds Star Wars II. In addition to the vast amount of content readily available in the game, new characters and super powers can be unlocked for players by placing one of the collectible TELEPODS physical characters from the Hasbro line on the phone or tablet camera and scanning it into the game. For the first time ever, players can choose which character they want to use in the app by “teleporting” their physical character into the game. Over thirty figures will be available at launch in September.

“Hasbro worked closely with both Rovio and Lucasfilm to deliver a fully integrated TELEPODS experience with the new ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS II app. Now fans can enjoy unprecedented and seamless dual play in both physical and digital ANGRY BIRDS experiences,” said John Frascotti, Chief Marketing Officer, Hasbro, Inc.

Simultaneously with the launch of Angry Bird Star Wars II on September 19th, a new line of merchandise will be introduced to coincide with the game including a complete line of toys, apparel, accessories, books and plush from best in class licensing partners. Hasbro TELEPODS will arrive in retail by September for the game launch and be presented to the public for the first time at San Diego Comic-con in July.