In February of the previous year, Sweden’s mobile powerhouse 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 a much larger plan, according to Maria Redin, MTG’s president and chief executive. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the ambition set after the Plarium acquisition is to double the group’s size once again, aiming to hit that target within a three‑to‑five‑year horizon. "We set out the vision last year that after acquiring 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, but Redin points out that MTG has already proven capable of rapid expansion. The company pursued a similar goal in 2021 and, as she recalls, “we think we tripled.” The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into single‑digit expansion as the market matures.
What used to be a blue‑ocean of untapped users has turned a deep red, meaning future growth will largely depend on capturing market share from rivals—or swallowing them whole through acquisitions. Buying studios is the easy part; integrating them is where many firms stumble. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of acquisitions that resulted in studio closures because of poor post‑deal integration. MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap.
Before the Plarium deal, the group already owned a portfolio of mobile developers, including InnoGames (Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6) and Futureplay (Merge Gardens). These studios were split into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District, the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences. Following the acquisition, those districts were rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp.
Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, groups together free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp houses the in‑app‑purchase‑driven games that make up the bulk of MTG’s revenue. The rebranding is more than cosmetic; Redin says the aim is to create “one of the leading gaming villages,” a community‑focused concept intended to improve employee retention and foster a sense of belonging among the many newly‑added teams. "Gaming is the best marriage between creativity and data‑driven decisions," Redin explained.
"People are one of our biggest assets, but we also need to create an environment where they can thrive. We buy companies because we want the founders and their teams to stay on board after the deal – that’s when the real story begins and we can scale the businesses. The only way to make them stay is to give them a workplace they enjoy." A key element of the integration strategy is the standardisation of technology and tools across the group. Redin notes that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a common platform can drive efficiencies.
This push for uniformity began when she became CEO in 2020, but it wasn’t until Plarium joined that MTG had sufficient scale to roll the vision out fully. She is careful to distinguish between the needs of the two districts: Playsimple’s tech foundation will serve future casual acquisitions, whereas the Midcore side will adopt selected components of Plarium’s suite in a measured, selective rollout. "We’ve done a very thorough internal assessment on where it makes sense to collaborate and share technical tools, and where it doesn’t," Redin said.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page data system are already being used group‑wide, with MTG adding new features to enhance functionality. The goal is to concentrate resources where they generate the greatest return, supercharging the existing talent pool with a robust, shared technology backbone. Artificial intelligence is another pillar of MTG’s forward‑looking strategy.
InnoGames, for example, has been using generative AI to produce all of the content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to broaden AI‑generated assets across its catalogue. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in production pipelines throughout the mobile sector. "Generative AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool we’ve had before," she remarked, adding that the challenge lies in finding the right balance: deciding which workflows to augment with AI and which to keep untouched. The company is layering AI onto existing processes such as A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance and analytics.
Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being packaged into the Plarium tech suite and disseminated across the group. Redin emphasises flexibility: studios can experiment within the overarching AI framework, share learnings, and rapidly roll out proven innovations to the wider organisation. When asked whether AI will eventually replace human creativity, Redin cautioned against fatalism. "I often get the question, is gaming AI going to be able to do everything you do?
I don’t think so. Our talent’s creativity isn’t something AI can replicate yet," she said. At the same time, she warned that ignoring AI would leave MTG trailing competitors. "If we don’t embrace AI, we’ll be slower than the competition.
AI can super‑charge everything we do while we keep the creativity, innovation, and vision of our team." Revenue‑wise, about 80 % of MTG’s earnings now stem from the Playamp division, with the casual Playsimple unit contributing roughly 20 %. Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the portfolio. She cites Snowprint as a model, saying, "If we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic." She also hints at the possibility of adding a third district to the gaming village, likely built around core capabilities such as marketing platforms or data analytics. Despite the market’s maturity, Redin believes evergreen IPs will remain central to MTG’s success.
The top‑ten mobile games change little each year, and titles like Raid have many years of life left. Nevertheless, she stresses the importance of a fresh pipeline: "We need to continue to have a pipeline of games coming to the market. Not investing in new games would erode the DNA of our studios and diminish creativity and passion." The broader industry context is sobering.
Supercell’s Ilkka Paananen has warned that western mobile developers are “coasting,” with only two of the 22 games that have generated over $1 billion since 2020 originating from the West. Even Supercell’s own incubation efforts have stumbled, as seen with the recent shutdown of Squad Busters. Redin acknowledges these challenges but remains optimistic.
She notes that MTG has three billion gamers worldwide, a market that, while no longer experiencing hyper‑growth, still offers low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit expansion. To exceed that baseline, she argues, companies must double‑down on strong evergreen franchises while simultaneously bringing fresh titles to market. In summary, MTG’s strategy under Maria Redin blends aggressive acquisition, thoughtful integration, technology standardisation, AI‑enhanced production, and a balanced focus on both proven and new IPs.
The aim is to double the company’s size within a few years, create a cohesive "gaming village" that retains talent, and navigate a maturing mobile landscape without sacrificing innovation.