'Rovio to get Angry Birds Space for Windows Phone'

Helsinki: Rovio is working on getting its new Angry Birds Space game to Microsoft's (MSFT.O) Windows Phone 7 platform (WP7), its chief executive said on Friday, putting Nokia and other Windows phones more on a par with the iPhone.

"We are working towards getting Angry Birds Space to WP7," Rovio Chief Executive Mikael Hed said, dismissing earlier media reports that the top gaming firm was dumping the platform.

Hed, however, said the launch date was not set.

Rovio's games are topping sales charts on all key platforms and reports that the gaming company was shying away from the Windows Phone was seen as a major blow to Nokia's (NOK1V.HE) strategy to shift to use it in all its smartphones.

After Hed's comments, Nokia shares were 0.6 percent higher at 3.97 euros by 1516 GMT.

"We are working closely together with Nokia to bring our games to their platforms," Hed said. "Our mutual goal is to bring the best possible experience to our fans, including all fans using Windows Phone devices."

The Finnish start-up behind the world's most downloaded mobile game has been valued at up to $9 billion little more than two years after it first launched Angry Birds for Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone.

The game has been downloaded more than 700 million times, and is the fastest-growing game on Facebook.