Rovio Entertainment has signed up Focus Multimedia as the exclusive distributor for the Angry Birds series.

The deal covers PC versions of all three games in the franchise for UK and Ireland, South Africa, plus Australia and New Zealand.

Focus Multimedia is distributed exclusively by Apex Interactive in South Africa. It will kick off in SA with the original Angry Birds on December 2nd, at a recommended retail price (RRP) of R149.95.

This will be followed by 20th Century Fox’s movie tie-in Angry Birds RIO, due before Christmas.

Angry Birds Seasons will follow in 2012. The first Angry Birds game has been downloaded more than half a billion times. The franchise has also branched out into merchandising, animation, and book publishing.

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“Boxed retail is another way to reach a wider audience,” Rovio spokesperson Ville Heijari said. “Digital and mobile are still at the core of our business, but boxed retail is a good addition for taking the brand forward.”

Focus Multimedia’s MD Craig Johnson added: “Angry Birds is everywhere, successfully penetrating ever deeper into the mainstream on a daily basis. We’re thrilled to be Rovio’s distributor.”

“We at Apex Interactive are proud to be associated with the release of the first licensed version of any Angry Birds title in our territory, and we are confident in achieving successful sales. Apex Interactive and Focus Multimedia have a long standing relationship and the Angry Birds title will most certainly be one of the biggest releases that we will be launching from Focus for the festive season,” said Quinton Davie, Director: Product and Marketing, Apex Interactive.