Letter to the Community #1

In our ongoing commitment to you, the Angry Birds 2 community, we want to share some thoughts about where the game stands right now, shed light on recent issues, and address your concerns.

We hear your feedback loud and clear as we soon embark on a new chapter for Angry Birds 2 to elevate the game we all cherish to new heights. Going forward it is important to us to keep you informed along the way and get your input on the things to come.

But before we share exciting news of what’s to come, let’s recap of what happened recently.

Progression Loss Issue

Let’s briefly recap what happened – At the end of August, we released version 3.15, which unfortunately led to a significant number of players losing their progress on Android devices. This was due to an issue with how progression was synced between the device and Google and Facebook accounts. As a result, many users temporarily lost their hard-earned progression in the game. We should have caught this before the update went live, and we deeply regret the oversight.

In the days that followed, we released multiple hotfixes to restore affected players' progress. By version 3.15.2, most affected players had their progress restored. However, many were still remaining. We introduced three more hotfixes, 3.15.3, 3.15.4, and several server-related updates to ensure everyone's progress was restored.

Restoring the progress was undeniably tough and an incredibly frustrating experience for those affected. While this issue is mostly resolved, here are the next steps:

There are still occasional edge cases where accounts haven't been restored – we estimate fewer than 3,500 accounts remain affected. If you haven't had your account restored, we will find a solution. Please contact the Player Support Team for assistance.

We have reviewed our internal processes to understand how this could have happened. Our top priority is preventing similar incidents going forward, and we are committed to refining our testing procedures for future releases.

Progression Loss Compensation

After grappling with this issue for over a month, we believe it's only fair to give something back to our players.

Every player, whether or not you lost progress, will receive a bundle of appreciation in their Piggy Mail inbox. Those who initially lost progress but recovered it quickly will receive an extra reward.

If you lost progress for an extended period, we have exciting news: For the first time in Angry Birds 2 history, you'll receive the entire Picnic Hat Set for free.

Also, anyone who was unable to collect their active Gem Letter will be compensated for the missed gems.

This compensation will be issued automatically in the coming day, so make sure to log back into the game to claim it. Please Note, do not contact our Player Support Team with false compensation claims. Doing so could lead to a ban for fraudulent behavior.

Response Time & Incorrect Responses to Player Support Tickets

Due to the progression loss and other problems, our team was inundated with tickets throughout September and into October, leading to longer response times. We understand some of you waited weeks for case resolutions.

While we don't offer this as an excuse, it's important to note the exceptional circumstances in September. We still have a significant backlog but assure you each case will be addressed.

Several players reported receiving incorrect information in our responses. We apologize for these oversights. Our primary aim is to minimize game issues, preventing prolonged emergency situations.

As we work to respond to each ticket, we are also revising our processes. Changes to how you contact the Player Support Team are coming soon. This will enhance both response speed and quality.

New Hat Events & Black Pearls

Between August and September, we increased the number of Hat Events and modified how Hat Sets are acquired. Although new Hat Sets can't be purchased with Black Pearls, we've doubled the daily free Tower of Fortune Entry Tickets and ensured the last hat is always a guaranteed reward.

These changes aimed to increase event participation. Despite some negative feedback across Social Media, we have seen an increase in players engaging more with hat events. We continue to analyze the situation a bit more to strike a good balance between your satisfaction with Hat Events while ensuring active event participation.

For our active and long-term players concerned about the diminishing value of Black Pearls, we're exploring ways to make them more meaningful for those not using them on older Hat Sets, however we are not ready to share yet, how this will look like.

Clans, Arena, MEBC, & Other Endgame Features

We've noticed a lot of feedback on end-game features like the Arena, Mighty Eagle Bootcamp, and Clans. Bugs, such as the missing frames for Mighty Eagle Bootcamp, are being addressed, but some changes, however, will take longer.

Currently, the team is reviewing the endgame experience in Angry Birds 2, aiming to provide long-term goals beyond upgrading Flock Power. We're in the early stages of discussions about the Angry Birds 2 endgame and welcome your ideas.

The Team is Growing & Working on New Features

For various reasons, the Angry Birds 2 team is expanding. From QA to Production, we're adding more hands on deck to address work on new features and address your concerns.

This expansion means more resources devoted to making Angry Birds 2 more fun (again). We hear your feedback loud and clear, and we just ask you for your understanding that this is a long-term process. The fruit of this labor needs to bloom first, however, we already have new and exciting features on the horizon, marking the beginning of our renewed focus on the game you love.

- The AB2 Team