Angry Hedgehogs on the Way? Rovio and SEGA Tease Upcoming Crossovers and Games at RovioCon 2023

"We're still dating."

That is the metaphor Shuji Utsumi (SEGA President of Consumer Games) and Ben Mattes (Rovio brand SVP) jokingly went with at RovioCon 2023 to tease the possibility (though not immediacy) of upcoming Rovio collaborations and games following their recent acquisition by SEGA, as reported by Mobidictum.

mobilegamer.biz reports a slightly more gung-ho take on Utsumi and Mattes' dating joke, suggesting that Rovio may have a Sonic crossover coming soon, and is working with SEGA on new games. Utsumi cites other SEGA IP that could see benefit from this mobile push, such as Yakuza or Persona.

This would be part of Rovio and SEGA's larger transmedia strategy with stated focuses on animation (there will continue to be Angry Birds animation projects), subscription gaming services (Netflix and Apple Arcade were suggested), and once again, the infamous "Super Game" project, which Utsumi pitched in the presentation as a social play platform comparable to Roblox.

SEGA acquired Rovio earlier this year for an estimated $1 billion, immediately leading to speculation of Sonic and Angry Birds collaborations in each series' future. It appears we won't be waiting long to see exactly that. But honestly, how long are we going to have to wait for the crossover we really want, Angry Birds and Total War: Warhammer?