The massive launch of Angry Birds: Star Wars II last month more than proved the franchise still has plenty of legs.
For the next game in the series, Rovio Entertainment is ditching the physics-based puzzles for kart racing in Angry Birds Go!
Launching December 11 on all major mobile app stores worldwide including iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 and Blackberry 10, the game will place franchise characters behind the wheel of go-karts. Similar to Mario Kart, coins and power-ups come into play as players race a variety of vehicles. Like later entries in Nintendo's iconic racing series, vehicles will have some form flying ability. One of the more interesting design choices of the game is that the racing will be downhill instead of using a circuit. Visually, Angry Birds Go! will also be the first game in the series to have a "fully rendered" 3D world.
Angry Birds Go! will be free to play to an extent. Being incorporated into Hasbro's telepods, a collection of Skylander and Disney Infinity-like action figures can be scanned into the game via QR codes engraved onto the toys through a smartphone or tablet camera. Prices will range from $7.99 for a single vehicle to $29.99 for a full-blown "Jenga Pirate Pig," cheaper than Activision and Disney's starter kits.
Ravio Entertainment first teased the new installment last month where it announced a partnership with energy drink maker Red Bull. In a video airing on the Finland-based developer's YouTube channel, Ravio's Kalle Kaivola said that it experimented with making the recently announced game an endless running similar to Temple Run.
Since its release in 2009, Angry Birds has garnered nearly two billion downloads while spawning various merchandise including toys and apparel. Last year, Rovio announced that Despicable Me producer John Cohen will produce a 3d CG-animated film based on the franchise for summer 2016
Watch the official gameplay trailer for "Angry Birds Go!" below.
