Samsung Electronics said Monday that it had unveiled the latest version of the global hit game Angry Birds at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, on Friday, with its official launch due on March 22.

In the new installment, Angry Birds Space, developed by Finnish game studio Rovio, the birds and their arch enemies, the egg-stealing pigs, are launched into outer space.

Samsung and Rovio have also teamed up to offer some exclusive levels of the version called the “Samsung Galaxy Note Level” on the company’s Galaxy devices.

Along with the 30-level pack, Galaxy owners will get one additional level, Danger Zone, which unlocks new special powers for the birds, free of charge for three months.

According to Rovio in November, the bird-projectile game had been downloaded 500 million times across various platforms, and its players have spent a combined 200,000 years playing the game.

The company explained that Angry Birds Space is supported by the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration and will showcase how a lack of gravity in space causes the birds to fly in straight lines.

The 5.3-inch smartphone Galaxy Note is equipped with a bigger display screen that is high-definition Super AMOLED, and offers a distinctive feature with the stylus dubbed the “S Pen.”

Samsung has yet to confirm the launch date of its tablet, Galaxy Note 10.1, which was unveiled in February during the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)