Rovio Wins Big With Angry Birds Star Wars

Since its release last week, Angry Birds Star Wars has been predictably dominating the charts on the App Store, putting the competition in the wake of its afterburners.

According to a report from Ad Age, Angry Birds Star Wars proved to be the fastest a Rovio title has ever gone to the top spot on the charts, needing only two and a half hours after its release on November 8th.

Thanks to their differentiated pricing strategy for iOS and Android devices (the iOS version is $0.99, while the Android has an in-app purchase to disable ads) combined with effective PR and merchandising, Rovio is raking in the galactic credits.

"We have not only been developing a new game, we have also been developing a big cross-promotional network and advertising network," said Rovio SVP of brand marketing Ville Heijari, in an interview with Ad Age. "When we come out with a new release, we can use this network to drive sales."

All of this success should come as no surprise, as the two franchises were both already powerhouses before they decided on combining their, um ... empires. But going forward, what will the path hold?

Rovio is clearly intent on cementing their already recognizable brand as a player and partner with the likes of Lucasfilm. Which raises questions about further exploration into those properties.

Are the Star Wars prequels or the rumored new movies soon to follow? Or what about other Lucasfilm properties such as Indiana Jones? And then there's Disney! The possibilities could go on and on.

Including, though perhaps unrelated, a desire to build playgrounds for kids. We don't know about you, but we're not too sold on the idea of putting junior in a slingshot and sending him sailing over the monkey bars. Unless he's acting up. In which case ... hey, maybe that's not such a bad idea after all.