'Angry Birds:

the Movie' is confirmed as game hits 400 million downloads

Game played for 300 million minutes per day worldwide

New bird to launch in game 'before Halloween'

Teaser image on Rovio's Facebook page

 Angry Birds maker Rovio - who made 51 failed games before 

their hit - are now estimated to be worth $1.2 billion

Game creator Rovio confirmed that a film of the iPhone hit Angry Birds IS in development, as it announced that 400 million people had downloaded the game.

Rovio said that a new bird will be launched in-game for Halloween - and even offered what might be a sneak peek of the creature.

Speaking at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, Rovio also said that Angry Birds is being played for 300 million minutes per day worldwide.

The film, to be produced in conjunction with Marvel - will explore the 'emotional connection' gamers have with Angry Birds, a Marvel executive told Hollywood trade magazine Variety this year.

No stars are yet attached to the project.

Game maker Rovio had made 50 failed games before iPhone hit Angry Birds - but having sold 350 million copies of the 59p game, the company also sells a million Angry Birds toys and a million T-shirts every month.

So far, Rovio has yet to spend a single penny on marketing or advertising, reports TechCrunch.

A recent survey estimated that Britain's economy lost more than £800 million a year to games played on smartphones such as iPhone at work.

 Not content with selling 350 million copies of the game Angry Birds, makers Rovio now sell one million cuddly toys a month - and a million T-shirts

In the game, players use catapults to fire infuriated birds at pigs hiding inside buildings made of planks.

'Gaming has gone mainstream with Angry Birds,' says Stuart Miles, founder of Britain's biggest independent gadget site Pocket Lint, 'Everybody from my three year old son to my granny can play these games. It's breaking down the barriers - gaming is no longer just something for spotty teenagers.'

Other proposed spin-offs include an Angry Birds cookbook - featuring eggs, which are dropped by some of the game's characters. 

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