Thunderful acquires game studio To The Sky and movie production company Tussilago

Swedish publisher Thunderful has completed a double swoop for nascent game studio To The Sky and film production company Tussilago.

Both companies are based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and will support Thunderful's video game and multimedia ambitions.

Thunderful explained To The Sky is a newly established studio led by former EA development director Jugo Mirkovic, who worked on multiple titles in the Need for Speed franchise. 

The company intends to sink more than $5 million into To The Sky's debut title, and has acquired a 91 percent stake in the studio for a "symbolic fee."

As for the Tussilago deal, Thunderful purchased the company earlier this year for SEK 1 million ($114,755) and explained the movie and TV production studio will be reported in the Thunderful Games segment. 

"Tussilago is an important part of our ongoing growth strategy. Robert and his team will help us create even better games and will pave the way for our IPs also outside the gaming industry," said Thunderful CEO, Brjann Sigurgeirsson.

These aren't the first major moves Thunderful has made in 2021. Back in June, the SteamWorld Quest and Lonely Mountains: Downhill publisher named former ID@Xbox director Agostino Simonetta as its new chief strategy and investment officer. 

Prior to that, it acquired Bridge Constructor publisher Headup for $13.3 million to bolster its games segment make inroads internationally.