Angry Birds plans China theme park, retail outlets

SHANGHAI - The Associated Press

Angry Birds Land, the new part of the Sarkanniemi amusement park in Tampere, seen on May 1, 2012. AP photo

The Finnish gaming company behind Angry Birds has opened its Shanghai office and outlined plans for activity parks and stores across China, one of its biggest markets.

Rovio's initiatives so far in China have included moon cakes for the mid-Autumn Festival. It is opening stores in Shanghai and Beijing next month and is building an activity park in Shanghai's Tongji University.

It also plans a theme park in the nearby city of Haining, similar to its Angry Birds Land at Finland's Sarkanniemi Amusement Park.

Peter Vesterbacka, founder of "Angry Birds," says Thursday that the company plans to be "more Chinese than the Chinese people."