Angry Birds returns to China thanks to new partnership between Rovio, Xiaomi and Kingsoft Shiyou

• Angry Birds is coming back to mainland China
• A new partnership will see Kingsoft Shiyou distributing
• Not only that, but it'll come as a preloaded app on the Xiaomi Pro and Pro Max

The term 'anglocentric' gets bandied about a lot. It means to focus excessively on the English-speaking world. And while I like to think we have quite a global view, it's true that sometimes we slip into assumptions even in mobile gaming. Angry Birds, one of the biggest hits in mobile, for example, is only now returning to China!

Yes, you heard that right. Up until now, mobile gamers in China have gone without their daily dose of destroying pigs and smashing structures. Fortunately, a new business agreement between Rovio, Xiaomi and Kingsoft Shiyou will see Angry Birds once more distributed to Chinese players.

Not only that, but Rovio have also managed to snag a very good deal out of it. Angry Birds will be made available as a preconfigured app on the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max smartphones. Meaning more players than ever will get their hands on it right from the get-go.

Flying south for the winter

It's tempting to write this off as purely business news. But Angry Birds returning to mainland China is big for players as well. Especially considering it's now going to be a 'standard' app for many playing on the newest gen phones.

Ever since being acquired by Sega, Rovio seems to be back on the up. Be that with new Sonic-themed releases, the occasional experiment in the Angry Birds franchise or the third instalment of their hit movie franchise. This seems to be the next step in a resurgence of Angry Birds into the public consciousness.

And speaking of China and its increasingly prestigious mobile industry, why not check out some of our recent reviews of their homegrown handsets? The Honor Magic V5 gets a big thumbs-up from us as Catherine dug into all the features this new handset has to offer.