Nordic Nintendo Distributor Bergsala Joins Thunderful

Thunderful AB, which comprises of Image & Form and Zoink Games, is about to get bigger.

Bergsala AB, distributor for Nintendo products in the Nordic region since 1981, is about to join Thunderful AB to form the Thunderful Group. The Thunderful Group will include three areas – Development which includes Image & Form and Zoink, Publishing which involves Thunderful Publishing and Rising Star Games, and last but not least Distribution, which includes ergsala AB, Amo Toys Nordic AB and Nordic Game Supply AB.

Full details below:

Bergsala AB has been distributing Nintendo’s products throughout the Nordic countries since 1981, and is now joining forces with the game developer and publisher Thunderful AB as well as the distribution companies Amo Toys Nordic AB and Nordic Game Supply AB, to create the new Thunderful Group.

The formation of the Group creates a strong operator in game development and the distribution of games, gaming accessories and toys. The owners of Thunderful Group AB include Bergsala Holding AB, Brjann Sigurgeirsson and Klaus Lyngeled. In total, the Group employs more than 160 staff. The head office of the new group is situated in Gothenburg.

“The factors that distinguish the business operations of the group are that they enjoy leading positions and good conditions in their relevant markets. We have already been working together for many years, and the size and the shared vision of our group will help us to further strengthen both as a group and within the individual business areas,”, says Brjann Sigurgeirsson, VD of Thunderful Group AB.

Three prominent business areas

The new group consists of three business areas:

• Thunderful Development, with operations in the development and sale of games. The business area includes the game developers Image & Form International AB and Zoink AB. The company’s key brand is SteamWorld. The games have sold over four million copies, and have been downloaded more than seven million times.

• Thunderful Publishing, with operations involving the publishing of games. The business area includes Thunderful Publishing AB, which handles the release of titles developed internally and by other gaming studios, as well as the highly acclaimed
Rising Star Games Ltd, which has been acquired to focus on releasing prominent Japanese gaming titles in Europe and the United States.

• Thunderful Distribution, with operations in the distribution and sale of gaming consoles, games, gaming accessories and toys. The business area includes Bergsala AB, Amo Toys Nordic AB and Nordic Game Supply AB. Bergsala AB has been distributing Nintendo products in the Nordic countries since 1981. Nordic Game Supply AB and Amo Toys Nordic AB are Nordic distributors of games, gamingaccessories, merchandise and toys. Their brands include Rockstar, 2K Games, RAZER, Thrustmaster, PowerA, Hori, MGA Entertainment (with brands such as L.O.L., BabyBorn and Little Tikes), Geomag, Intex and many others.
“Our common goal is to provide creative entertainment products of the highest quality for people of all ages,”, says Bergsala’s founder Owe Bergsten, whose holding company Bergsala Holding AB is the largest owner of Thunderful Group AB “For me, it’s always been about technology, playing and games, and the new group represents the entire value chain.

“The business operations at Thunderful Group AB complement each other well, both from a commercial aspect and in terms of revenue models. We have a strong pipeline and a clearly defined plan for how we intend to further develop our three business areas,”, says Brjann Sigurgeirsson, CEO of Thunderful Group AB.

The new group structure facilitates better interactivity and a better utilisation of operational and financial synergies. By way of example, the merger means that functions such as administration, finance, IT and logistics are centralised and streamlined, while the subsidiaries are afforded the space to focus fully on their core businesses.

“The distinguishing factors for the Distribution business area are stable cash flows and market-leading margins. The distinguishing factors for the Development and Publishing business areas are high margins and good return potential, but also periodically large investment needs. By improving our interactive relationships we are able to strike a good balance between risk and return on investment”, says Anders Maiqvist, CFO of Thunderful Group AB.