Photo: screen shot of NAAP

China's National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA) has approved two titles from the Angry Birds franchise as imported internet games, clearing the way for the return of a game once immensely popular in China around 2010.

Angry Birds is developed by Finland's Rovio.

The two titles, Angry Birds: Classic Returns and Angry Birds Dream Blast, will be published by China's Kingsoft and operated by Shiyou, according to a post on the website of the NPPA on Monday.

Rovio is best known for the global Angry Birds brand. Originally developed and published in 2009, the series has surpassed 5 billion downloads globally, evolving into one of the most iconic and influential mobile gaming intellectual properties in history, according to the company.

The franchise accompanied millions of Chinese players through the early era of smartphone gaming, creating shared memories across a generation and forging a lasting emotional bond with its audience, according to a press release by Rovio on January 21.

Rovio delisted the game from major app stores in 2023.

Through this partnership with Kingsoft Shiyou, the company said it aims to "reintroduce" the classic franchise to Chinese fans.

The return of the Angry Birds franchise to China has sparked discussion on Chinese social media platforms, with many confessing they spent countless hours playing the game during its heyday.

A netizen named Andelie Liang who is looking forward to its return said the game was a classic. Another netizen, aBoomovo, said the franchise was one of the favorites in their younger days. But there are also some questioning whether the game could still be popular among today's players.

Liu Dingding, a veteran industry analyst, told the Global Times on Monday that as a phenomenal game over a dozen years ago, the Angry Birds franchise achieved global success and was also wildly popular in China.

"This time, the game appears to have incorporated more interactive features commonly found in today's successful games, and its performance is worth anticipating," Liu said, adding that the new product needs to be well-made, affordable and localized to succeed in the competitive Chinese gaming market.

The announcement of the approval coincided with the visit of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo to China.

On Monday, more than 120 representatives from the business communities of the two countries participated in the 6th China-Finland Committee for Innovative Business Cooperation Meeting in Beijing.

During the meeting, Chinese and Finnish business representatives held in-depth discussions on cooperation in areas such as innovation, green development, and digitalization, and signed a number of commercial agreements.

Angry Birds Photo: VCG