We reported in April that Angry Birds Space hit 50 million downloads in 35 days. Today Rovio announced that its Angry Birds games have been downloaded over 1 billion times. Rovio has not released whether that metric includes non-mobile editions, such as the browser and Facebook-integrated versions of Angry Birds and Angry Birds Space.

To celebrate the 1 billionth download, Rovio has produced a short video of a boy launching the Red Bird into the clouds (and more floating pigs). Text appears thanking Rovio’s players for downloading Angry Birds 1 billion times, and the video closes promising more amazing things coming soon. When Angry Birds space reached 50 million downloads Rovio mentioned the recently released free level pack and announced that something even bigger was on the way. Were they referring to the Facebook edition of Angry Birds’ Share and Play feature or is it something else?

The last shot of the billionth download may have a hint in the form of a blond kid winking in front of a Rube Goldberg machine.

Now what's this about?

The Rube Goldberg machine is interesting because Rovio’s Angry Birds games are all physics based. (Throw exploding birds at a structure so it falls, throw birds through gravity fields to hit targets; even if these are rather simple, open ended puzzles.) This could mean the new Angry Birds content will feature more involved, Rube Goldberg-esque puzzles or perhaps Rovio is dropping hints for an entirely new franchise.

On Rovio’s blog the developer writes that this is only the beginning of their story. Who’s story, Angry Birds or Rovio? If they start a new franchise, can a blond Finnish kid have the same universal appeal as cartoon birds? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.