Angry Birds has become the breakout star of the mobile gaming world, thanks mostly to its simple premise and addictive gameplay (though some rather shameless marketing hasn’t hurt). But next to the likes of Shadowgun, it can’t help but look a little… flat. In a recent press event Nvidia’s mobile content vice president Neil Trevett spent some time speculating on Rovio’s cash cow, and how the developer might be leveraging more recent mobile gaming technology for better graphics and physics.

Trevett said that Rovio and Nvidia have been in communication, a situation that’s increasingly common among high-profile mobile game developers. Carefully choosing his words, the executive stopped short of inadvertently announcing a new game. He highlighted the fact that Angry Birds and all its various Seasons updates and tie-ins use a 2D physics engine in addition to 2D graphics, but said that they could use a 3D physics engine to provide richer gameplay and more eye candy in the background. “There’s lots of things Rovio could do in terms of particle effects or volcanoes exploding in the background.” The proliferation of Nvidia’s Tegra platform, especially the quad-core Tegra 3, may inspire mobile devs to reach for greater graphical heights.

2D gaming has been gaining steam with the expansion of Android and iOS – and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s restricted to 2D graphics. Games like Street Fighter 4, recent Mario and Sonic titles and other high-profile games combine a two-dimensional playing field with three-dimensional graphics, making for a classic, comfortable play style with a modern look. For an Android example of this, check out Wind-Up Knight. Rovio hasn’t made any specific announcements for a straight-up sequel to Angry Birds (Angry Birds 2? Angry Birds 3D? Angrier Birds?), but they’re currently working on at least four independent projects.

[via Pocket Gamer]