Rovio, the Finnish mobile game and animation studio that created the hit Angry Birds franchise, have had a rough go as of late.
On Friday, they announced that their head of games, Wilhelm Taht, will leave the company effective immediately following a dramatic profit warning the week before.
To top it off, the company announced they will be closing their year-old London office.
The birds flew south during a cold Q4
In a statement, Rovio CEO Kati Levoranta said their new Angry Birds games and others “landed short of expectations,” but according to TechCrunch, “falling short” may be an understatement.
Angry Birds Evolution is currently ranked 562nd in the US App Store, and 451st in Google Play, while Match, one of their games separate from the AB franchise, is ranking in the 700s.
Their revenue for the quarter came in at only $90.7m, and the company’s stock dropped 50% from their $1B valuation the company received last year upon going public.
“It’s personal”
While the timing seems to fit, the company maintains that Taht’s exit is unrelated to their rough Q4, citing personal reasons for his move.
However, Levoranta went on to say in her statement that they’re using Taht’s departure as a way to “simplify” their company structure.