In 2008, Apple launched the App store. I don't think it's possible to really emphasise how much this changed the mobile landscape, and how it opened up opportunities for new developers to reach fame and fortune.
One such example, and the winner of our poll, is Angry Birds, which won by a considerable margin, beating out many AAA releases. Launched in December 2009, Angry Birds hit the top of the paid app list in the UK App store in February 2010, and stayed there until October.
Ports for the game were later released on Android, Facebook, Chrome, gaming consoles, and Windows Phone.
Between 2010 and 2015, Rovio released a further 10 games to the series, including franchise tie-ins with Star Wars and Transformers.
Angry Birds even partnered with NASA, to make Angry Birds Space, releasing video footage from the International Space Station.
Despite the huge number of releases, it wasn't until July of this year [2015] that Rovio launched Angry Birds 2. One week after its release it was downloaded over 20 million times. Critics felt it was a good progression of the series, but disliked the fact the game made you wait, or pay to continue playing once you'd lost all your lives.
However, it isn't all cheer at the Rovio camp. At the end of 2014, their profits had declined 73%, as a result of poor sales in merchandised products. Total revenue had declined 43% resulting in the laying off of a third of their workforce in 2015. As we covered in the news, this month Rovio lost its CEO.
In May 2016, Rovio will be releasing the Angry Birds Movie, which features big name actors such as Peter Dinklage, and YouTube stars Smosh.
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