Strong IP and strategic location — Atari explained the acquisition of a controlling stake in Thunderful Group

Recently, the shareholders of Thunderful Group approved the sale of 81.7% of the Swedish holding company to Atari. In an interview with GamesIndustry, Atari CEO Wade Rosen discussed why he decided to go through with this deal.

SteamWorld Heist II

According to Rosen, there are four main reasons.

• Thunderful Group’s production and publishing portfolios contain strong IPs. Among them are SteamWorld, Aska, Viewfinder, Lost in Random, and many others. Rosen admitted that Atari’s strategy primarily focuses on retro games, which makes the deal with the Swedes seem unusual. Nevertheless, their business is not limited to just that, and now it will become even more flexible.
• Having control over Thunderful Group will allow Atari to expand its presence in Europe. In particular, it will be easier for Atari to work with European distributors.
• The teams at Thunderful Group, who assist other studios in game development, will be valuable to Atari’s studios as well. The latter are rapidly growing and could use the extra hands.
• The companies have spent years trying to find opportunities for collaboration. When Thunderful Group offered to sell its shares, Atari considered it a suitable option.

Thunderful Group is currently going through tough times: the holding’s revenues are declining, and it is undergoing restructuring. However, Atari hopes to improve the situation. For instance, it wants Thunderful Group to focus on select projects rather than numerous new games, as this will make it easier to achieve success.