Rovio teases new Angry Birds game with Star Wars image

Angry Birds developer Rovio plans to announce a new game Monday. It isn’t saying what the new title is, but it is teasing it with a new Angry Birds/Star Wars mashup image.

Rovio posted a blog along with the image above claiming that Angry Birds fans should keep an eye out on July 15 for news about a “brand-new game.” The image is a parody of the poster for Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. It has one of Rovio’s famous birds dressed up as young Anakin Skywalker with the shadow forming a piggy Darth Vader.

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As for the game itself, Rovio claims it will have some new powers, a huge character roster, and some surprises.

Angry Birds: Star Wars hit mobile devices in November. It features the familiar Angry Birds gameplay mixed up with levels and abilities based on the classic Star Wars trilogy, which includes movies A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.

The fact that Rovio is teasing the new game with an image from the prequel trilogy (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith) suggests that the developer may intend to use those films as the backdrop for its newest release.

Rovio was an early success story on Apple’s iOS app store. The Angry Birds franchise grew into a phenomenon based on the popularity of the mobile games. Since that early success, other developers have stepped in and taken over the top spot on the iOS and Android charts. Studios like King (Candy Crush Saga), Supercell (Clash of Clans), and GungHo Online (Puzzle & Dragons) are generating cash at an astronomical rate, according to app-tracking firm Appannie. Meanwhile, Rovio doesn’t have a single title in the top-grossing iOS or Android charts.

Maybe a new Star Wars and Angry Birds game could serve as the opportunity to get Rovio back on top.