Thunderful has entered into a binding agreement regarding the acquisition of the independent games developer JUMPSHIP. The studio’s first title, the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure Somerville, will be released today. As a Thunderful studio, JUMPSHIP will retain creative autonomy as it continues to create top-class story-driven narrative games.

JUMPSHIP was founded in 2017 around the Somerville IP, conceptualised by Chris Olsen and built in collaboration with ex-CEO and co-founder of Playdead, Dino Patti. As well as remaining at JUMPSHIP, Dino will also take on a new role as Strategic Advisor for Thunderful Games.

“The level of intrigue that JUMPSHIP has managed to generate for its debut title shows you that this is a team with a deep artistic vision,” said Agostino Simonetta, Chief Gaming Officer at Thunderful Games. “Adding to our already diverse and accomplished roster of talent under the Thunderful Studios’ umbrella is an important part of our strategy to build strong internal IPs. We look forward to supporting the team at JUMPSHIP to harness their skill for building impactful narrative driven experiences as they continue to create fantastic titles within the Thunderful family.”

“Thunderful is pushing the boundaries by forming a family of game studios who will work under an umbrella of services that supports autonomy and creative vision. Our team sets its own course and it's great to find a partner that not only understands that but can truly support us,” said JUMPSHIP Studio Director Claire Boissiere. “Thunderful's established relationships with key platform holders and expertise in putting games into the hands of players gives us an infrastructure where we can focus on what we do best: crafting games that challenge our audience both emotionally and intellectually.”

JUMPSHIP executive team from left to right: Chris Olsen (Co-Founder), Claire Boissiere (Studio Director), Dino Patti (Co-Founder and Executive Producer) and Georgi Simonov (Art Director).

“I feel really good about the partnership with Thunderful and what it will do for JUMPSHIP,” said JUMPSHIP Co-Founder and Executive Producer Dino Patti. “I have known Agostino for a very long time and we have built a strong relationship of trust. We’ve been talking about this possibility for around a year and, over that time, I have only become more convinced that this is a great opportunity for JUMPSHIP and Thunderful alike.”

The acquisition of JUMPSHIP, expected to close today, is Thunderful’s first acquisition since Anders Maiqvist began as acting CEO. It is Thunderful’s tenth studio acquisition. For more information about the JUMPSHIP acquisition: www.thunderfulgroup.com

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