Angry Birds Celebrates ‘Freddie For a Day’
Following the worldwide success of the 2011 Freddie Mercury Google Doodle, London agency Outside Line has worked with Freddie For A Day, Universal Music and Rovio Entertainment to launch a unique partnership that sees the most iconic Rock’n’Roll front man of all time, Freddie Mercury, become the newest member of the Angry Birds family.
Wednesday is the global focal point of the annual Freddie For A Day event, and to celebrate the creators of Angry Birds have released an animated video of Freddie the Angry Bird riding his bicycle to the tune of ‘Bicycle Race’.
Now in its third year, Freddie For A Day celebrates the life and legend of the late, great Freddie Mercury. Timed to coincide with the singer’s birth date (September 5), it encourages the public to become moustache-wearers for a day while raising funds to combat AIDS, the disease that claimed the singer in 1991.
According to Chief Marketing Officer Peter Vesterbacka, the Rovio team were keen to go ga-ga over the project. “Freddie for a Day is such a great way to honour Freddie's fun and flamboyant spirit whilst delivering an important message, and we're delighted to be supporting them in our own Angry Birds style. Queen's music has endured because its creativity and contagious fun appeals to fans of all ages. We were happy to help keep Freddie's memory and music alive for new generations of fans," he said.
As well as celebrating a rock hero, Angry Bird creators Rovio Entertainment have also been looking to villainy to find inspiration for another new project. The Finnish media company have just announced their newest game, Bad Piggies, launching September 27 for iOS, Android and Mac. This new game turns the blockbuster franchise on its head by letting the fans play as the pigs, with all new, never-before-seen gameplay – and not a slingshot in sight.
“There’s a lot of empathy towards the lovable enemies from the Angry Birds games – people constantly ask: what about the pigs’ side of the story?” said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio. “Bad Piggies gives you the chance to play as the second-most-loved characters in the Angry Birds universe, and explore this rich world through their green eyes.”
The launch of Bad Piggies has been accompanied by a teaser trailer which sees the porcine anti-heroes turn the tables on their feathered nemesis.
“We’ve had a lot of fun creating a totally new and unique gameplay experience,” said Petri Järvilehto, EVP Games at Rovio. “There’s so much more to these pigs than what is seen in the Angry Birds games. Bad Piggies is the first glimpse into what’s going on in the imaginative and ingenious minds of the pigs.”
