Sega May Buy Angry Birds For $1 Billion

The “Angry Birds” makers Rovio have not managed to match the success of their cult game. So there have been rumors of a takeover for months. Now a new name is being thrown into the ring: Sega is said to be interested.

This is according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, a “Japanese entertainment conglomerate” is expected to pay around $1 billion for Rovio Entertainment.

Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is about to take over Rovio for around $1 billion. The information was leaked to the Wall Street Journal by a person directly familiar with the acquisition.

Just Before The Graduation

The two companies are said to have already come to an agreement. Sega could finalize the acquisition of Rovio Entertainment Oyj by early next week, provided talks don’t falter at the last minute or unforeseen drag on.

Previous Talks Failed

It’s not the first rumor about the Rovio acquisition. Rovio was previously in talks to sell to Playtika Holding Corp., an Israel-based rival, for more than $800 million. These negotiations ended in March without an agreement. Sega Sammy should now offer a lot more to win the bid. Sega Sammy was formed in 2004 through the merger of Japanese slot machine manufacturer Sammy Corp. with the Sega Corp. and video game maker Sonic the Hedgehog.

Angry Birds was the first mobile game to break the one billion download mark. Rovio is said to have reached more than 5 billion downloads with its games.