Iconic Angry Birds celebrates 2nd Birthday: Free Gift for Fans Available

No one could have ever imagined that a flock of 'angry' birds who are out on a vengeance will keep smartphone and tablet users so busy that its Finnish developer Rovio Mobile will be persuaded to launch different versions of the game.

Angry Birds was launched in December 2009 and is now celebrating 2 years of phenomenal success and how. The game first surfaced in Apple's App Store and its successful combination of addictive gameplay, comical style, and low price helped it climb up the ladder to soon become the 'Top Paid,' 'Top Free' and 'Top Grossing' game of all time. To date, over 12 million copies have been downloaded from the App Store on iOS (Apple's mobile operating system) devices, prompting Rovio to design Angry Bird versions for other mobile operating systems such as Android, among others.

Gameplay is simple - players use a slingshot to launch a limited number of 'angry' birds at pigs (who have stolen the birds' eggs) stationed on or within various structures, with the intent of destroying all the pigs on the field. As the player advances through the levels, it becomes harder to reach to the pigs. But fortunately, the player gets to unlock new birds with special abilities.

Angry Birds has become so popular that reportedly people play Angry Birds for a combined 1.825 billion hours per month.

Its popularity has also led to versions of Angry Birds being created for PCs, Macs and gaming consoles. There's also a huge demand for Angry Birds merchandise and plans are going on for a feature film or television series.

No wonder, Angry Birds maker was even valued at over $1 billion and the company is mulling going public.

And December 11 was a big day for Angry Birds and birds lovers alike as the game celebrated its 2nd birthday. And, there was treat for everyone - all Angry Birds fans received a free gift in the form of an updated version (2.0.0), which was made available in Apple's App Store where Angry Birds made its debut.

However, it is not easy as usual to get to the birthday party and enjoy the cake, since pigs are also ready to crash the party. Unlocking all 15 episodes will bring 15 brand new levels of cake. And to help the angry birds destroy the pigs, there is an amazing, new, expandable orange bird!

Meanwhile, Rovio has also announced the launch of world's first Angry Birds-themed playground featuring animal spring, riders, swings and a range of climbing towers with slides in Finland, the homeland of Angry Birds.

Check out the sneak peak of Angry Birds Birthday Version! Enjoy.