Rovio, the company behind the mobile gaming megahit Angry Birds, has big plans for the future, and those plans include going public.
"We're aiming to be as large as Facebook or Google," said Rovio Board Chairman Kaj Hed to Finnish business magazine Talouselämä.
While those words seem overly ambitious for a company that specializes in mobile gaming, Rovio's recent $42 million funding round gives the company a fair amount of weight. According to Talouselämä, the VC firms that participated in the funding round -- Accel Partners, Atomico Ventures and Felicis Ventures -- have acquired about 15% of the company, which puts the valuation at around €200 million or $281 million.
Kaj Hed said getting the funds wasn't very hard, as Rovio was able to choose the investors and set its own terms, which also tells a lot about Rovio's success. As far as Rovio's finances go, the company generated more than €5 million ($7 million) in revenue from July to December with a profit of about €3 million ($4.2 million).
What do you think? How long can the Angry Birds franchise keep generating profit? Can Rovio replicate its success? Is an IPO a realistic option for the company? Please, share your opinions in the comments.