Mighty Eagle: Rovio is aiming to be 'much bigger' than Disney

Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and the rest of Walt Disney's gang must be shaking in their fluffy boots.

Rovio's chief managing officer Peter "Mighty Eagle" Vesterbacka has revealed in an interview with Business Insider that his company is aiming to be "much bigger" than Disney.

Vesterbacka was quick to point out that today's launch of Angry Birds Space is proof of the impact the Angry Birds franchise has had across various forms of media.

"It's not just the launch of a game, it's the launch of a franchise," Vesterbacka said. "It's bigger than most movie launches in Hollywood. Rovio is one of the first brands to launch from the digital to the physical world"

"Zynga is a game company. We stopped looking at ourselves as a game company. We sold 25m plush toys last year. For us, it's about making Angry Birds available everywhere."

Rovio's Mighty Eagle stated that his franchise is even massive in territories where it is yet to be officially released, such as in China.

"You go shopping in China, you see Angry Birds everywhere. We are the most copied brand in China, which means we are the most loved brand," Vesterbacka explained.

"We aren't advocating piracy but we have millions of Chinese people who love Angry Birds."