Angry Birds (video game) was being played, the staff liked the characters, and the team elected to design a game around them. In early 2009, physics games, such as "Crush the Castle", were popular flash-based web games, so the Rovio team was inspired by these games. During the development of "Angry Birds", the staff realized the birds needed an enemy. At the time, the "swine flu" epidemic was in the news, so the staff made the birds' enemies pigs. Angry Birds was the studio's 52nd produced game and on its initial release, the game did not sell many copies. After Angry Birds was a
The Angry Birds Movie a series of six Lego sets were used to promote the film. A balloon themed after Red debuted at the 2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. During the film's marketing campaign, the app icons for most "Angry Birds" games were changed to depict the cinematic version of Red. A series of free-to-play tie-in games were also produced: "Angry Birds Action!", "Angry Birds Evolution", and "Angry Birds Match". "The Angry Birds Movie" was released on digital HD on July 29, 2016, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 16, 2016, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, with four "Hatchlings" shorts included. The film