Angry Birds to Open 600 Stores in China

Rovio Entertainment Ltd., maker of the world-sensation mobile game Angry Birds, plans to open as many as 600 retail stores in China in the coming two years. The first batch of stores –– according to Rovio's chief marketing officer and co-founder Peter Vesterbacka –– will be opened in Beijing and Shanghai before this summer.

The Finnish digital-game developer hopes the stores in China can generate more than $100 million in revenue this year.

China is the second-fastest-growing market after the United States, according to the company. The apps of the Angry Birds series games had been downloaded more than 100 million times in the country by mid-February.

The soon-to-be-open stores will sell Angry Birds' derivative products such as stuffed toys, T-shirts and chocolates, according to the company.

Earlier this month, Rovio opened its official online stores on Tmall.com, the nation's largest business-to-customer platform, selling similar products.