Maria Redin of Mobile Powerhouse MTG Discusses Rebranding, Acquiring Raid: Shadow Legends, and Plans to Double Company Size

In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile entertainment leader Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million purchase of Plarium, the studio behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, however, is only the opening move in what MTG’s chief executive Maria Redin describes as an aggressive expansion plan.

Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set after the Plarium acquisition, is to double its scale once more within roughly three to five years. “We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size,” she said. “And yes, we want to fuel and continue to drive organic growth, but in order to do that, we will need to do more acquisitions.” The timeline is bold, yet not without precedent. MTG pursued a similar target in 2021 and, according to Redin, succeeded in tripling its size in the ensuing period.

The mobile gaming market, which a few years ago was expanding at double‑digit rates, has now settled into single‑digit growth, reflecting a maturing ecosystem. What was once a blue‑ocean of untapped users has turned “red,” meaning that future expansion will likely involve capturing market share from rivals or absorbing them entirely. Acquiring studios is the easy part; the real challenge lies in integrating them smoothly. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of acquisitions that resulted in studio closures due to poor integration.

MTG believes it has a formula to avoid those pitfalls. Before buying Plarium, MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile developers, including InnoGames (creator of Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6), and Futureplay (Merge Gardens).

These studios were grouped into two “districts”: the Casual District and the Midcore District—the latter covering games that sit between pure casual and hardcore experiences. The districts have now been rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp, respectively. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, focuses on free‑to‑play, ad‑supported games, while Playamp houses titles that rely primarily on in‑app purchases, which represent the bulk of MTG’s revenue.

The rebranding is more than cosmetic. Redin wants to forge “one of the leading gaming villages,” a phrase she says is intended to foster a sense of community and belonging among employees. Retaining talent and ensuring smooth cultural integration are crucial when a company grows by swallowing many studios in rapid succession. "I always say gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions.

People are one of our biggest assets, but you also need to create an environment where they can thrive," Redin explained. "We buy our companies, which also means that we want the founders and the teams to stay on board post‑acquisition, because that’s when the true exciting story should start and you continue to scale the businesses. The only way you can make sure they stay is if you create an environment they enjoy." Behind the scenes, MTG has been standardising technology and toolsets across its portfolio—a goal Redin set when she became CEO in 2020. The Plarium deal gave the group enough scale to roll out this vision fully.

While tech standardisation can be risky—EA’s forced adoption of the Frostbite engine caused major headaches for studios working on titles like Mass Effect—MTG is taking a nuanced approach. The Playsimple and Playamp divisions have distinct needs, so their tech stacks are being aligned separately. "Playsimple’s tech stack will be the foundation for future companies we onboard in the Casual District.

For Midcore, we have chosen some of the Plarium tech suite to use group‑wide, but we’re rolling it out selectively to ensure the end game is better for all companies," Redin said. An internal assessment identified where shared tools make sense and where bespoke solutions are required.

Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page data system are already being leveraged across MTG, with additional features and functionality being added. Redin believes that these shared resources will boost studio output: "We want to make sure that we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck. We have some amazing game makers across the group, and with Playamp we want to super‑charge that with a tech suite they can leverage." Generative AI is also reshaping MTG’s production pipeline.

InnoGames, for instance, has been using AI‑generated content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to expand AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin notes that AI is becoming embedded in many aspects of mobile game development, from A/B testing and graphic creation to quality assurance. "AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool we’ve had before.

We’re all trying to find the right balance—where to change workflows, where to keep them, and where AI can add value without replacing human creativity," she said. "If we don’t embrace AI, we’ll fall behind competitors.

It can help us address capacity shortfalls in coding, art, and advanced logic, allowing us to deliver games faster and, ideally, better." MTG’s revenue split reflects the importance of the midcore segment: about 80 % comes from Playamp, while the casual side, currently represented by a single studio (Playsimple), contributes roughly 20 %. Redin is eager to broaden both divisions.

"We bought Snowprint a couple of years back, and if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic. On the casual side we’d like to add more scale," she said. Looking ahead, Redin hints at a possible third district that would build on the core capabilities the group already possesses—perhaps leveraging marketing platforms or data analytics.

The exact shape of this new district remains undefined, but the goal is to keep the "gaming village" ecosystem vibrant and attractive for talent. When asked about the future of mobile titles, Redin observes that the top‑ten games list changes little year after year. "Our thesis from day one has been to believe in evergreen IPs," she explained.

While MTG continues to invest in proven franchises like Raid, it also recognises the need for fresh pipelines. Plarium, for example, is preparing to soft‑launch a new title early next year. The broader industry context is sobering. Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen warned that the western mobile market is "coasting," with only two of the 22 billion‑dollar games since 2020 originating in the West.

Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have struggled, as illustrated by the recent shutdown of Squad Busters. Redin acknowledges the difficulty of launching hit games but stresses that a lack of new titles would erode the creative DNA of its studios. "Investing in new games retains creativity, passion, and drive," she said. Despite a maturing market, Redin remains optimistic about growth potential.

With three billion gamers worldwide, there is still room to expand, even if hyper‑growth is unlikely. She expects low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit growth rates and believes that sustaining and exceeding those numbers will require a blend of strong evergreen IPs and a steady flow of new releases. In summary, MTG under Maria Redin is pursuing a multi‑pronged strategy: aggressive acquisitions, thoughtful integration, unified yet flexible technology, AI‑enhanced production, and a balanced portfolio of established and emerging titles—all aimed at doubling the company’s size while fostering a collaborative "gaming village" culture.