“There was always a lot of friendly rivalry between Rovio and Halfbrick and our respective games, Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja. Both were synonymous with the top of the App Store charts. This book helped me to see how Rovio relegated Fruit Ninja into the number 2 position. I take my hat off to the team. Well played!”

Shainiel Deo, CEO and Founder, Halfbrick

“The Angry Birds franchise is a masterclass in transmedia storytelling, brand expansion, and emotional design. From a simple mobile game to a global cultural icon, Rovio has demonstrated how deep character work, playful irreverence, and relentless creativity can power a brand for over a decade. Angry Birds didn’t just entertain, it redefined what a game brand could be.”

Reinout te Brake, Founder, RTB Consultancies

“Angry Birds spearheaded the era of Mobile blockbusters. The Slingshot Formula is an amazingly thorough, honest and brilliant analysis of how it all came to be. Through this exhilarating and sometimes hilarious story, a vast amount of learning treasures are unlocked about the last two decades in the mobile-first entertainment industry.”

Phil Hickey, CMO, SYBO (Subway Surfers), ex-VP Marketing, Rovio

“In my forty years developing and shepherding intellectual properties like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tamagotchi, Nano, and Power Rangers, I’ve learned that lightning in a bottle rarely strikes by accident—it’s a mix of instinct, grit, timing, and the courage to ignore the rulebook. The Slingshot Formula captures the improbable flight path of Angry Birds and is more than a post-mortem of a hit game; it’s the anatomy of a cross-media phenomenon that soared across industries. A masterclass in how to build wings as you fly.”

John Schulte, Founder and CEO, Pangea Corp.

“A rare inside look at how Angry Birds became a global phenomenon—not by chance, but through relentless iteration, data-driven decisions, and a bold focus on brand-building beyond the game itself.”

Shayan Sanyal, Global Games Industry Business Development Leader, Amazon Web Services

“Pascal offers a compelling look back at the early era of mobile gaming through the lens of Rovio’s beginnings. His accessible and well-researched narrative makes this book a valuable read for both industry veterans and newcomers.”

Mickael Bougis, Business Development Europe, Epic Games

“The Slingshot Formula captures the wild energy behind Angry Birds’ rise, with all the heart, hustle, and weird luck that came with it. It’s honest, funny, and full of moments I still can’t believe actually happened. A must-read for anyone curious how a small Nordic team built a global phenomenon that launched all the way to space.”

Marja Konttinen, ex-Marketing Director, Rovio

“As someone who has been close to the action through many startups I have advised and/or invested in, I particularly enjoyed the attention to detailed stories in this book, as well as the depiction of the human side of our industry. This is a must-read for any entertainment executive, entrepreneur, wannabe expert or even the next generation of students.”

Michael Vorhaus, CEO Vorhaus Advisors

“Thrilling, insightful and at times hilarious, this book is a layered case study breaking down the practice and activities of many entertainment industries with detailed accuracy and clarity.”

Ludovic Bodin, co-Founder Kalibrio, Author Atomic Scaling, President, La French Tech, China

“An amazing knowledge bible for any modern businessperson or aspiring entrepreneur anywhere in the world!”

Paul Chen, ex-General Manager, Rovio, China

“Drawing on exclusive interviews and his own career in gaming, Clarysse breaks down pivotal strategies into actionable insights on navigating failure, building resilient teams, and scaling IP across media, making it essential reading for anyone in the games industry.”

Nitish Mittersain, CEO and Founder, Nazara Technologies

“This is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the birth of a mega-hit game. It’s a guidebook to the challenges that many start-ups face and the strategies that helped them to grow and succeed in the global market.”

Tomo Hisanaga, Country Manager, The Sandbox, Japan

“A unique testimony of how a new industry, that of mobile games, was born, and how the first successful pioneers went about it.”

Cédric Littardi, President and Founder, KaZé (Crunchyroll, Europe)

“A captivating insight into the still largely undocumented world of mobile gaming and the global phenomena that have shaped it, paving the way for the rise of new worlds and iconic brands that have defined entire generations.”

Martial Valéry, CEO and co-Founder, Oh BiBi

“Pascal Clarysse is one of the most creative and insightful minds I’ve worked with in the games industry. In The Slingshot Formula, he masterfully distils the magic behind Angry Birds’ rise from indie gamble to global phenomenon, blending sharp marketing acumen with a deep understanding of what makes games resonate.”

Georg Broxtermann, Founder and CEO, GameInfluencer