F1-themed Angry Birds Heikki finally off the starting mark!

And they're (finally) off!

 

Rovio's Formula 1-flavored version of its Angry Birds game, "Angry Birds Heikki," finally got off the starting grid.

 

The game gives racing fans a chance to play 12 "tracks" via heikki.angrybirds.com, where they will be asked to register to play, tech site The Next Web reported.

 

The latest version of the popular game is dedicated to Finnish F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen following Rovio’s sponsorship of him.

 

Kovalainen sports a special Angry Birds-themed racing helmet and Rovio has been offering limited edition merchandise on its website.

 

"With an additional social layer, Rovio is creating a unique branding opportunity for the F1 driver, sending racing fans to his Facebook page to increase interaction," The Next Web said.

 

Registered gamers will be offered a new level corresponding with the track that teams will be racing next.

 

In this case, it will be the British Grand Prix, which is located at the Silverstone racing track, The Next Web said.

 

"Once the British Grand Prix has passed, the next track will be unlocked (and so on)," it added.

 

But this latest game is different as it offers special Heikki powerups or "Heikki Power," which can be used to help maximize a player’s score.

 

However, the tie-in requires gamers to visit Kovalainen’s official Facebook fan page to obtain a special code.

 

Future of the Angry Birds franchise

 

The Next Web said this could be the future of Angry Birds, where Rovio can partner with brands and companies to create unique themed minigames.

 

Such minigames can boost not only their profile but their social presence.

 

"It remains to be seen if the company will develop this into something we will see more often in the future," it said.

 

It added Rovio’s latest game in the Angry Birds category has topped 100 million downloads on all platforms in 76 days, driving total cumulative downloads for the entire franchise past the 1 billion mark. — TJD, GMA News