Rovio team up with NASA

Good news for Angry bird fans. Rovio has teamed up with NASA to launch Angry Birds Space.

The new game will be released on 22 March and will be available on iOS, Android, PC and Mac.

"This began with a Twitter exchange about birds and pigs in space, and has grown into a tremendous outreach and education opportunity," said Nasa spokesman David Weaver.

"Games are fun and entertaining but can be inspirational and informative."

In an online video promoting the game, a US astronaut on the International Space Station explains the laws of physics using Angry Bird characters as props.

At one point flight engineer Don Pettit is seen firing a red bird down a space station corridor using a slingshot.

Nasa has called the collaboration with Rovio and Angry Birds "an exciting way to get people engaged with Nasa's missions of exploration and discovery, and get students energized about future careers in science and technology".

Peter Vesterbacka, Rovio's chief marketing officer, said the company wanted to create something "unique" for the game launch.

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From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, fans can have fun with physics as they try out new gameplay possibilities

Peter VesterbackaRovio's chief marketing officer

"Nasa has been the perfect partner for our Angry Birds Space programme and we can't wait to work with them on creating more compelling educational experiences," he said.

Angry Birds Space features 60 initial levels and six new characters but has what Rovio says is a "unique twist in a variable gravity environment".

"From the weightlessness of space to the gravity wells of nearby planets, fans can have fun with physics as they try out new gameplay possibilities," Peter Vesterbacka added.

"The Angry Birds themselves have also transformed into superheroes, with new costumes and abilities."

More levels will be available as free regular updates and in-app purchases.

In November, Angry Birds became the first game to achieve 500 million downloads less than two years after it was released.

Pre-view of Angry Birds Space. Credit: Rovio