Angry Birds maker Rovio valued at $1 billion in planned IPO

  

Rovio Entertainment, the Finnish maker of "Angry Birds" and other popular mobile games, says that its initial public share offering will value it at about $1 billion.

The company based in Espoo, Finland said Friday that the shares will be priced in the range of 10.25 euros to 11.50 euros each, for a market capitalization of between 802 million euros and 896 million euros ($953 million to $1 billion).

CEO Kati Levoranta said the listing on the Helsinki exchange "will offer new shareholders an opportunity to become part of Rovio's success."

She said Rovio has become "a global games-first entertainment company." Best known for its Angry Birds mobile game that was launched in 2009, the company has expanded with other games, a movie and had licensed the Angry Birds brand.

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