Rovio Entertainment (Angry Birds) acquires Futuremark (3DMark, PCMark) Games Studio

The guys at Futuremark just let me know that they sold their gaming division to the Angry Birds team. You are most likely familiar with Futuremark for their wildly popular benchmarking programs including 3DMark 11 and 3DMark Vantage as well as their previous 3DMark programs going back to at least 2003. Many of us have been fascinated about 3DMark’s included game demo that was not playable but promised as an upcoming game someday and it has had gamers salivating for years over the thought. Perhaps this acquisition will see this game come to life? Here are the details from their press release:

“March 27, 2012 -- Espoo, Finland -- Rovio Entertainment, creator of the global phenomenon Angry Birds, announced today the acquisition of Futuremark Games Studio, the gaming arm of benchmarking software developer Futuremark.

“They are an incredibly talented and experienced team, and we are thrilled to have them on board,” said Mikael Hed, Rovio Entertainment’s CEO. “Rovio’s success is founded on the excellence of our team, and Futuremark Games Studio is going to be a superb addition.”

"I am proud to see the potential of our talented games team recognized by Rovio," said Jukka Mäkinen, Futuremark CEO. "Futuremark will now focus on supporting gamers and industry with 3DMark, our professional grade benchmark which, in a new version to be released later this year, will allow unified gaming performance comparison across operating systems and form factors for the first time."

This announcement comes on the heels of the Angry Birds Space launch, a multiplatform release that debuted on iOS, Android, Mac and PC, as well as in books, merchandising, and animation. On the first day of release, Angry Birds Sapce
shot to the #1 slot for iOS in 104 countries.

Futuremark Games Studio is the second acquisition for Rovio in the past year, after the acquisition of Kombo Animation Studio last summer. As Rovio continues its rapid expansion in entertainment, publishing, animation, and retail, the company will continue to focus on seeking out the world’s best talent to join its team.”