Angry Birds studio Rovio moves into mobile publishing

Angry Birds studio Rovio today launched a new mobile game publishing initiative, through which it plans to forge its first path into the world of third-party titles. Rovio Stars is the "logical step" for the company at this point in time, says Rovio's EVP Jami Laes, and the initiative will be looking to bring only the most innovative games from third-party studios to mobile platforms. The company will begin by focusing on a small number of games, including Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage by Nitrome, and Tiny Thief by 5 Ants. Rovio already hinted at the idea of moving into publishing just over a year ago, when CEO Mikael Hed said, "It would be very easy for us to just go shopping. To get lasting benefit is the hard part."