Rovio, the developer behind the "Angry Birds" franchise, announced Thursday that it is looking to fix its lack of growth by cutting up to 130 jobs.
The employees that will be leaving the Finland-based company make up close to 16 percent of the company's total workforce, according to CNET. Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio, said in a blog post Thursday that the Rovio team has been built up based on "assumptions of faster growth."
"Angry Birds" made its debut in 2009, spawning several sequels due to popularity, which include "Angry Birds Seasons," "Angry Birds Space" and "Angry Birds Star Wars." Other games developed by Rovio include "Amazing Alex," "Bad Piggies," and "The Croods."
The "Angry Birds" brand has since expanded into a TV series, toys, and clothing, and Rovio plans to release an animated movie based on the video game franchise in the summer of 2016, BBC News reported.
The move follows two months after Rovio announced that Nokia executive Pekka Rantala will take over as the company's chief executive in early 2015.
European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes commented on the job cuts on Twitter, saying it was "sad news" and that while these kinds of decisions are tough for everyone involved, they are part of the "entrepreneurial challenge."
Hed said that while it is difficult to consider making changes such as cutting jobs, "it is better to do them sooner rather than later, when we are in a good place to reignite growth," CNET reported.
He added that Rovio will focus on three important areas that have the "highest growth potential" in the process of speeding up growth. These three areas are consumer products, games, and media.
