Rovio, the studio behind Angry Birds, has announced that its CEO, Pekka Rantala, has stepped down. This is after only about a year in the position. He will be replaced by Kati Levoranta, former chief legal officer of the Angry Birds franchise.
The company said the change in leadership is due to restructuring. “Rovio is shifting more operational responsibility and decision-making into its two business divisions Games and Media. As a consequence of this change, Pekka Rantala, who has successfully led Rovio through a period of change and strengthened the company’s focus, has decided to step aside.”
Rantala’s tenure was a rough time for the company. After the initial widespread success of the first Angry Birds game, Rovio expanded in a lot of different directions, but never saw the same level of success again. Last October the company laid off 130 employees. In August there were another 260 layoffs—more than 30% of its workforce.
Rovio is releasing an Angry Birds film in May 2016. “We are now positioned to make the most of the release of ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ in May,” says Levoranta, “and some exciting developments in the games and consumer products portfolios throughout 2016.”
