First Angry Birds theme park announced for Asia

SHANGHAI (AFP) - The company behind “Angry Birds” said Wednesday it would open its first theme park in Asia next year at a site near Shanghai as it builds on the brand of the hugely popular game.

“Angry Birds Land” will be located in Haining city in China’s Zhejiang province, next to the commercial hub of Shanghai, and will be the firm’s third theme park after one in Finland and another in Britain.

“People in China want to get out and spend their free time at a leisure destination,” Rovio Entertainment’s general manager for China, Paul Chen, told AFP.

“We’re hoping to open (the theme park) by Chinese New Year next year, February,” he added as the Finnish company launched a playground on the campus of Shanghai’s Tongji University. The first China theme park, featuring an interactive playground and rides, would welcome up to 400 visitors a day paying admission of 60 yuan ($9.50). China has the world’s second-highest number of downloads for Angry Birds at 190 million, trailing only the United States. The mobile game involves using slingshots to launch birds at fortresses built by green pigs - an addictive challenge that became the world’s most-downloaded app and spawned a franchise of merchandise and media tie-ins.