Thunderful acquires Early Morning Studio
Mobile developer is group's fourth purchase so far this year
Thunderful Group has added another studio to its roster, picking up Early Morning Studio for an undisclosed sum.
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, the mobile developer is best known for mobile RPG Vampire's Fall: Origins, which has over 10 million players, as well as Champions of Avan and the upcoming Vendir: Plague of Lies.
The studio will continue to be led by its founders Emir Kuljanin and Kristian Andersson, with all 17 members of staff retained.
While Thunderful has dabbled in mobile, recently announcing it will publish Super Meat Boy Forever for smart devices, the group's publishing and development operations primarily focus on PC and console.
The aim of this acquisition is to bring more mobile expertise into the fold, as well as improve Thunderful's knowledge of free-to-play games, according to group CEO Brjánn Sigurgeirsson.
Early Morning Studio is the fourth acquisition Thunderful has made in 2021 so far, following the purchases of Bridge Constructor publisher Headup Games, Spanish developer Stage Clear Studios and games consultancy firm Robot Teddy.
We spoke to Sigurgeirsson, as well as Thunderful's Ago Simonetta and Robot Teddy founder Callum Underwood, about how that particular acquisition and the creation of two investment funds makes the group "a 360-degree" games firm.