Angry Birds maker to slash jobs

Helsinki: Finnish gaming company Rovio, who produced Angry Birds, has decided to slash 213 jobs.

Rovio on Wednesday announced to cut a total of 213 employees, over 30 percent of its 670 staff. A total of 198 jobs will be slashed in Finland and 15 abroad, reported Xinhua.

The gaming company said that it will continue its restructuring plan and will focus on its three key business sectors including gaming, media and consumer products.

The layoffs will affect Rovio's whole organization, but the employees working on the production of the Angry Birds Movie in the US and Canada are not included, said the company.

Rovio is facing difficulties caused by its poor profitability, which is largely due to a setback in its peripheral business in recent years.

The downturn of the company started in 2013, and its operation deteriorated further in 2014 with operating profit dropping from 36.5 million euros in 2013 to 10 million euros.

Founded in 2003, Rovio is a game developer and entertainment company based in Espoo, southern Finland. The company had grown rapidly after launching the "Angry Birds" game at the end of 2009.