Steamworld Dig 2 developer Image & Form is merging with Fe developer Zoink to form a new studio, Thunderful, the pair jointly announced.

Both indie studios are based in Gothenburg, Sweden and have been working together for some time, Image & Form CEO Brjann Sigurgeirsson explained in a statement. This merger is a formalization and natural extension of that relationship, Sigurgeirsson said, and will not hamper their individual operations going forward.

"They've collaborated for a long time and will continue to develop games with existing and new IPs under their respective labels," Thunderful's statement reads.

When we spoke to Sigurgeirsson on the making of the Steamworld universe last December, he hinted that there's more to do with the IP. "I'm sure there's at least one game in between Dig 2 and Heist, and there should be more to come after Heist as well," he said. It sounds like this merger will only have positive effects on the prospect.

Zoink has been making headlines with Fe lately, especially with its PC release confirmed for February, but the studio is responsible for several games—most topically, Flipping Death, a beautiful point-and-click platformer about solving your own murder in a storybook world.

Thanks, GoNintendo.