SEGA Sammy looks set to expand its mobile gaming business very soon, as a fresh report from the Wall Street Journal has revealed that the House of Sonic is nearing a deal to buy ‘Angry Birds’ developer Rovio Entertainment for around $1 billion.

According to the WSJ, assuming the talks “don’t break down or drag out”, the Finland-based mobile game maker could find itself a part of SEGA Sammy’s portfolio as early as next week, citing people familiar with the deal.

Rovio is best known for its fowl-flinging, pig-smashing hit game, Angry Birds, originally released for mobile devices in 2009 and is largely credited as one of the first breakout games for the iPhone and the then-nascent smartphone market. The company has built on the initial game’s success as much as it could over the years, turning the name into a multimedia franchise spanning TV spinoffs and movies.

It seems that, despite Rovio’s best efforts, it reportedly could not replicate the same success as it did with Angry Birds for any of its new IP, which is cited as a reason for the company putting itself on sale and becoming available for acquisition.

Of course, in today’s gaming landscape acquisitions are starting to become commonplace, with Microsoft and Sony getting headlines for its increasing third-party studio buyouts. It seems only natural that SEGA Sammy would join in on the action – and adding an existing beloved IP to its portfolio could perhaps revitalise the Japanese corporation’s performance in the mobile space.

All that said, don’t hold your breath for any Sonic x Angry Birds crossover events just yet. You could probably expect a silly art piece from the official Sonic social media team though.

via WSJ (paywall)