'Angry Birds' flies clear of Windows Phone 7

Rovio Mobile, the Finnish casual game developer behind the mobile blockbuster Angry Birds, had its feathers ruffled over the weekend when a posting on the Microsoft website erroneously suggested the franchise will land on the new Windows Phone 7 operating system. "We have NOT committed to doing a Windows Phone 7 version," Rovio Mobile tweeted Sunday. "Microsoft put the Angry Birds icon on their site without our permission." Microsoft quickly issued a statement accepting blame for the mix-up: "It appears information was mistakenly posted to Microsoft's website, and has been removed," the software giant said. "We have nothing new to share, but stay tuned for announcements from Microsoft and its partners on Monday." A subsequent tweet clarified Rovio's position, hinting the developer hasn't entirely ruled out Angry Birds for Windows Phone: "We didn't get mad, just wanted to set the record straight," the firm explained. "And we haven't said we wouldn't do WP7." 

Microsoft would no doubt love to offer Angry Birds to prospective Windows Phone 7 users. Angry Birds consistently ranks among the App Store's top-selling paid applications, reportedly generating 6.5 million downloads at 99 cents each--the puzzle game, which brings to life the epic battle between a flock of vengeful birds and the green pigs who stole their eggs, boasts 180 gameplay levels, leaderboards, achievements and social media integration. Last month, Rovio Mobile introduced Angry Birds Lite Beta, a free edition optimized for smartphones running Google's Android mobile OS.

In the months leading up to Windows Phone 7's launch, Microsoft reportedly offered iPhone game developers cash incentives to port their applications to the nascent platform. Citing sources approached by Microsoft, PocketGamer.biz reported this summer that the company promised "substantial" upfront cash payments to select game developers who agreed to translate their iPhone titles to Windows Phone 7 in time for its commercial debut. Complicating Microsoft's efforts: The significant costs associated with reworking iPhone applications written in C++ to Silverlight or XNA, the two frameworks underpinning the Windows Phone platform.

For more on the Angry Birds hubbub:
- read this TechFlash article

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