Rovio invests in Moominvalley maker

Gutsy Animations’ Moominvalley

Helsinki-based Gutsy Animations, the prodco behind Moomin adaptation Moominvalley, has secured a €5m (US$5.9m) investment from Finnish mobile gaming company Rovio Entertainment, creator of the Angry Birds franchise.

The two Finnish brands have made a joint long-term commitment to create “joyful” content, according to a statement.

Under the deal, Rovio has also secured exclusive rights from Moomin Characters Ltd and Rights & Brands, the global licensing agency for the Moomin brand, to develop and publish Moomin IP-based games for any platform and exclusive rights for all mobile platforms.

Rovio’s first Moomin game, based on the original story and world created by Tove Jansson and inspired by the Moominvalley visuals, is already being developed and is expected to soft-launch later this year.

“This investment shows growth does not always need to come from far afield and is an incredible display of confidence in Gutsy Animations’ ability to create high-quality, distinctive content for the global market,” said Gutsy Animations founder and chief creative officer Marika Makaroff.

“Additionally, by forging a collaboration between three Finnish companies, this partnership shows a high level of trust in Finnish know-how, as well as serving to highlight the power of storytelling through shared values.”