Rovio, the cash-injected developers of the Angry Birds series, has announced Rovio Stars, a new publishing initiative. According to EVP Jami Laes, the company's foray into third-party publishing will "help our fans find quality entertainment" on crowded app stores.

Not only will Rovio help market games they publish, but they will give them "that last coat of polish," making it more of a co-development opportunity than at other publishing arms. "We're focusing on a small, select number of games, and each Rovio Stars launch will be an event of its own," director of development Kalle Kaivola said in the announcement.

The first game to be released under the Rovio Stars program will be Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage by Nitrome. Its trailer certainly has a certain Angry Birds sheen to it--whatever that really means.

Rovio Stars' second game has also been announced: Tiny Thief by 5 Ants. Developers who are interested in Rovio Stars can submit an application on Rovio's official website.