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Image & Form and Zoink join forces, become Thunderful companies!
Image & Form and Zoink, two of the most successful developers in the Swedish gaming industry, join forces to form Thunderful. The new company becomes one of the most important players on the European gaming circuit.
The owners of internationally acclaimed game studios Image & Form and Zoink have joined forces and formed Thunderful, a limited liability company that will wholly own Image & Form and Zoink. In turn, Thunderful is owned by Bergsala Holding, Brjann Sigurgeirsson and Klaus Lyngeled.
In 2017 Image & Form has been very successful with their latest release, SteamWorld Dig 2. The SteamWorld series, established 2010, has forged the studio into a leading developer and publisher of many different game genres on all current-gen platforms. Zoink made headlines when EA, responsible for game franchises such as Battlefield and FIFA, clinched the contract to publish Zoink’s pioneering game Fe, slated for release early 2018. Among others, the studio has also launched a very interesting VR project with one of the industry leaders in the field.
Both Image & Form and Zoink are based in Gothenburg, Sweden. They’ve collaborated for a long time, and will continue to develop games with existing and new IPs under their respective labels.
“We already work together on a daily basis in PR, marketing, intelligence and publishing,” says Brjann Sigurgeirsson, CEO of Image & Form and CEO of Thunderful. “Image & Form and Zoink will continue to produce games like we always do, but we’re now formalizing our close relationship. Through Thunderful we can share resources more effectively, officially act together and launch bigger, more ambitious game projects. We’re becoming a real powerhouse.”
With the paperwork out of the way, the next step in 2018 is moving into bigger offices together.
“Brjann and I already exchange very much information, so this development is natural,” says Klaus Lyngeled, CEO of Zoink and Chief Creative Officer of Thunderful. “With a group of close to 50 people we’ll grow our clout both nationally and internationally.”
Behind the successes lies a long-term dedication to making high-quality games, and today the studios are being compared to the likes of Nintendo and Double Fine.
“The gaming industry is rife with opportunities and many try their hand at it,” says Sigurgeirsson. “We know that in order to stay at the absolute top level, we must continue to develop world-class games. Fortunately, we are consistently proving that this is where we belong.”
A common denominator is Bergsala Holding, who among other things is the sole distributor of Nintendo products in the Nordic region. Bergsala is a long-standing partner in both companies, and have been imperative for the growth this far. Owe Bergsten, the CEO of Bergsala Holding, looks forward to the Thunderful cooperation. “There’s strength and clarity in gathering these great game developers and all their projects under one roof,” says Owe Bergsten. “The future looks both bright and exciting.”
EY Corporate Finance acted as exclusive financial advisor in the establishment of Thunderful AB.
Source: PR Email
SteamWorld Dig is burrowing its way over to the Switch eShop with a February 1st release date!
Yes it's TRUE! Rusty has dug his way up and will resurface on #NintendoSwitch. Our claim to fame, our wonderful pride and joy #SteamWorldDig is coming February 1! $9.99 / €9.99 ????????❤️ Save up, save the date and RT! pic.twitter.com/noKOzaoJlF
— Image & Form Games (@ImageForm) January 22, 2018
Space Dave invades the Switch eShop on January 25th!
Space Dave! is coming to Switch THIS THURSDAY! Who plans on picking it up? pic.twitter.com/gcWkEpyVeu
— Choice Provisions (@TotallyChoice) January 22, 2018
Shiftlings are set to bounce onto the Switch eShop February 1st!
The Janitor is out of the bag! #Shiftlings – Enhanced Edition is coming to the #nintendoswitch on the 1st of February. We tend to believe the game was made for it before the Switch was even announced 😉https://t.co/VzVcUxjoOP
— Rock Pocket Games (@RockPocketGames) January 23, 2018
Four Horses bringing Miles & Kilo to Nintendo Switch later this year!
Following on from the great success of Kid Tripp on the Nintendo Switch and 3DS, it gives us enormous pleasure to be able to announce that Mike Burns, the creator of Kid Tripp, has chosen Four Horses to also bring the sequel, Miles & Kilo, to the Nintendo Switch.
Miles & Kilo takes all the great features of Kid Tripp, turns them up to 11 and throws in a dog for good measure! Play your way: with full control of Miles, you can spend as long as you like carefully picking your way through the levels or turn on Autorun and go for your fastest times, the choice is yours. Miles & Kilo is bigger and more refined than Kid Tripp and will be crash landing onto the Nintendo Switch eShop later this year.
Source: PR
Nintendo Labo Combines The Magic of Nintendo Switch With the Fun of DIY Creations!
Introducing Nintendo Labo, a new line of interactive build-and-play experiences designed to inspire kids and those who are kids-at-heart. Building on the 129-year history of Nintendo, which is rooted in innovative entertainment and game-play experiences, Nintendo Labo continues the company’s mission of putting smiles on people’s faces.
Together with the Nintendo Switch system (sold separately), the Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools and technology to MAKE fun DIY creations, PLAY games with your creations and DISCOVER how the magic of Nintendo Switch technology shapes ideas into reality.
With each Nintendo Labo kit, kids can transform modular sheets of cardboard – specially designed to interact with the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con controllers – into creations called Toy-Con. From a piano to a motorbike, a robot and more, each Toy-Con comes to life when combined with Nintendo Switch in different ways. As you build, you will have fun discovering how the technology works, and might even invent new ways to play with each Toy-Con!
For example, you can build a functioning 13-key piano that brings your musical creations to life once the Nintendo Switch console and Right Joy-Con controller are inserted. As you play, the IR Motion Camera in the Right Joy-Con detects which keys are pressed and translates them into unique notes that are heard through the console. You can even take control of your very own motorbike by constructing a functioning set of handlebars, with a Joy-Con inserted in each side and the Nintendo Switch console cradled in the middle. Simply hit the ignition button, turn the right handle to engage the accelerator and watch your adventure unfold on the Nintendo Switch screen, as you race to new destinations.
“Nintendo Labo continues our longstanding mission of making people smile by surprising them with new experiences,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President and COO. “It is an exciting evolution of the Nintendo Switch platform – one designed to inspire curiosity, creativity and imagination in people of all ages.”
With Nintendo Labo, building is just as much fun as playing. Every Toy-Con creation presents exciting challenges and varying degrees of complexity, making each one a unique experience. Building Toy-Con is especially fun with family and friends, as you collaborate and share each other’s Nintendo Labo experiences. Once built, you can customize your Toy-Con creations with your own markers, stickers and paint to give them a personal touch – the only limit is your imagination!
Nintendo Labo launches on April 20 with two kits: the Variety Kit and the Robot Kit. With the Variety Kit, you can create many different Toy-Con, including two Toy-Con RC Cars, a Toy-Con Fishing Rod, a Toy-Con House, a Toy-Con Motorbike and a Toy-Con Piano. With the Robot Kit, you can build an interactive robot suit with a visor, backpack and straps for your hands and feet, which you can then wear to assume control of a giant in-game robot. Both kits include everything you need to assemble your Toy-Con creations, including the building materials and relevant Nintendo Switch software. A special Customization Set that includes fun stencils, stickers and colored tape will also be available to purchase on April 20. Canadian pricing will be announced at a later date.
Each Nintendo Labo kit packs plenty of value, with a range of ways to make, play and discover in each kit:
Variety Kit
● Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch console. The HD Rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.
● Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must tug the Fishing Rod upward and crank the reel quickly to try and complete the catch!
● Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact with, play games with and feed a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
● Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, while twisting the right handle activates the throttle. Leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.
● Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can experiment with your own musical creations by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones!
Robot Kit
● Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable Robot suit, and insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, in which you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.
For more information about Nintendo Labo, visit https://labo.nintendo.ca/. You can view a special introductory video about Nintendo Labo here: https://youtu.be/iGjhoDY_s60. Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/features.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.5 billion video games and more than 710 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.ca/.
Source: PR Email
Three Classic Nintendo 3DS Games Are Now Only $29.99 Each!
Starting on Feb. 3, Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, two of the most acclaimed Nintendo 3DS games of all time, and Ultimate NES Remix, a wildly fun mashup of classic NES games starring classic Nintendo characters, are joining the Nintendo Selects library and will be available at a suggested retail price of only $29.99 each.
The Nintendo Selects library features a wide variety of games for various Nintendo systems, which can each be purchased for the suggested retail price of only $29.99. In addition to the newly added Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Ultimate NES Remix games, other games in the library include classics like Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. For a full listing of games in the Nintendo Selects library, visit https://www.nintendo.com/en_
CA/nintendo-selects. “For people that received a Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo 2DS system as a holiday gift, these three games are ideal ways to start their gaming library,” said Pierre-Paul Trepanier, Nintendo of Canada’s General Manager. “We’re excited to offer these must-have games for a new, low price.”
In Super Mario 3D Land, players run, jump and power up with Mario through multiple colourful worlds. The game is a fun combination of 3D gameplay combined with the more traditional linear designs of classic 2D Super Mario games.
Set in the world of the classic Super NES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds continues the adventure of the legendary hero of Hyrule. In this critically acclaimed tale, Link can transform into a living painting to cross into a dark parallel world, travel along walls and solve challenging puzzles.
Fans who love retro games and the NES Classic Edition system will also love Ultimate NES Remix, which features rapid-fire challenges and mashups from some of the most recognizable games on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Players take on creative and nostalgic challenges from classic games like Super Mario Bros. 3, Metroid, The Legend of Zelda and Punch-Out!!
Anyone looking to play these games on a shiny new system can pick up one of the many systems in the Nintendo 3DS family:
· A white-and-red Nintendo 2DS system pre-loaded with the New Super Mario Bros. 2 game is available at a suggested retail price of $109.99.*
· A blue-and-black Nintendo 2DS system pre-loaded with the Mario Kart 7 game is available at a suggested retail price of $109.99.
· A white-and-orange New Nintendo 2DS XL system that plays all Nintendo 3DS games in 2D is available at a suggested retail price of $199.99.
· A black-and-turquoise New Nintendo 2DS XL system is also available at a suggested retail price of $199.99.
· The space-themed New Galaxy Style New Nintendo 3DS XL is available at a suggested retail price of $239.99.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS family of systems features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit https://www.nintendo.com/en_
CA/3ds. *Nintendo 2DS plays Nintendo 3DS games in 2D only.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Nintendo Switch™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.5 billion video games and more than 710 million hardware units globally, including Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS™ family of systems, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™, Wii™ and Wii U™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names, such as Mario, Donkey Kong, Metroid, Zelda and Pokémon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.ca/.
Source: PR Email