In February of the previous year, Sweden's mobile entertainment titan Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million acquisition of Plarium, the developer behind the blockbuster hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. Yet, according to MTG’s president and chief executive Maria Redin, that deal is merely the opening move in a broader expansion playbook. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set out after the Plarium purchase, is to double its size once more – a goal she hopes to achieve within a three‑to‑five‑year horizon.
"We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size," she explained. "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 aggressive, but Redin points out that MTG has already demonstrated the capacity to scale quickly.
In 2021 the group pursued a similar target and, according to her, succeeded in tripling its footprint. The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into single‑digit expansion as the market matures. What was once a blue‑ocean landscape has turned decidedly red, meaning that future growth will likely come from capturing competitors’ market share – either by out‑performing them or by absorbing them.
Acquiring studios is the straightforward part; integrating them is notoriously difficult. The industry is littered with cautionary tales of mergers that resulted in studio closures after botched integration. MTG, however, believes it has a clear roadmap. Before buying Plarium, the group already owned several mobile studios, including InnoGames (Forge of Empires), Snowprint (Warhammer 40,000: Tacticus), Hutch (F1 Clash), Ninja Kiwi (Bloons TD 6) and Futureplay (Merge Gardens).
These entities were grouped into two “districts”: a Casual District and a Midcore District – the latter covering games that sit between purely casual and hardcore experiences. Following the Plarium deal, the districts were rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp.
Playsimple, named after the India‑based WordTrip studio, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp comprises the majority of MTG’s portfolio – games that rely on in‑app purchases (IAPs). Redin says the rebranding is more than cosmetic; it underpins a vision to build "one of the leading gaming villages." The term "village" is deliberately inviting, intended to foster a sense of community and belonging among employees, which she views as crucial for retaining talent after rapid acquisition sprees. "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 emphasized.
She stresses that MTG’s acquisition strategy includes a commitment to keep founders and their teams on board post‑deal, because the real growth story begins once those teams continue to develop under the MTG umbrella. Retention, she argues, hinges on cultivating a workplace culture that staff enjoy. A parallel initiative underway since Redin took the helm in 2020 is the standardisation of technology and tools across the group. The Plarium acquisition gave MTG the scale needed to roll out this vision fully.
Rather than building bespoke solutions for each studio, MTG is creating shared tech stacks where appropriate, while recognising that the needs of Playsimple differ dramatically from those of Playamp. Redin notes that the casual division will use a foundation built around Playsimple’s own tech suite, whereas the midcore side will selectively adopt components of Plarium’s platform. She acknowledges the risks of forced standardisation, citing Electronic Arts’ problematic push to make all its studios adopt the Frostbite engine, which caused significant friction on projects like Mass Effect. MTG’s approach, by contrast, involves a thorough internal assessment to decide where collaboration on tools makes sense and where it does not.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system have already been deployed across the group, with MTG adding new features to enhance functionality. The ultimate aim is to boost studio output while maximising return on investment.
"We want to make sure that we put our efforts where we get the biggest bang for our buck," Redin said. "We have some amazing game makers across the group.
And what we want to do now with Playamp is to really supercharge that with a tech suite that they can leverage on, where we are elevating everything that was already done." Generative AI is another pillar of MTG’s modernization. InnoGames, for example, has been using AI to generate all content for its mobile title Sunrise Village and plans to expand AI‑driven creation across its portfolio. Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in production pipelines across the mobile sector. "Generative AI is significantly more powerful than any other tool that we got access to before," she noted, adding that the industry is collectively grappling with how to balance AI integration with existing workflows.
MTG’s AI strategy focuses on layering intelligent tools onto current processes – for A/B testing, graphics creation, quality assurance, and more. Successful AI solutions from individual studios are being incorporated into the broader Plarium tech suite, allowing rapid diffusion of best practices. Redin stresses the importance of flexibility: studios can experiment within an overarching AI framework, and when a breakthrough occurs, it can be rolled out company‑wide. When asked whether AI is now indispensable for competing in the mobile market, Redin cautioned against overstatement.
"I often get the question, is gaming AI going to be able to do everything you do? And I actually don't think so," she replied.
She believes human creativity remains irreplaceable, but also that ignoring AI would leave MTG lagging behind rivals. "If we don't embrace AI, we are going to be slower than what our competitors are. And we want to make sure that we continue to run forward at a good pace, and I think that's where AI can supercharge everything we do," she said. Revenue-wise, about 80 % of MTG’s earnings now stem from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple.
Redin is eager to broaden both sides of the business. She mentions Snowprint, acquired a few years ago, as a model she would like to replicate globally – "if we could find five more Snowprints around the world, that would be fantastic." On the casual front, the group currently operates a single studio under Playsimple but hopes to add further scale. Looking ahead, Redin hints at the possibility of a third district within the gaming village, though its exact focus is still under consideration.
It would likely centre on core capabilities such as marketing platforms or data analytics, extending the existing structure. Despite the rapid changes, the top‑ten mobile games list remains remarkably stable, reinforcing MTG’s long‑standing belief in evergreen intellectual property. The company continues to invest in proven titles like Raid, while also recognising the necessity of a fresh pipeline. Redin acknowledges the difficulty of launching new hits, citing Supercell’s recent struggles with its incubation programme, but stresses that a steady flow of new games is essential to preserve studio DNA, creativity, and passion.
In a market that has shifted from hyper‑growth to modest single‑digit expansion, Redin remains optimistic. "We do have three billion gamers out there, so is it a compelling market? Yes. Do we compete for airtime with streaming platforms, social media, and so forth?
Yes. But do I believe there’s still growth in the gaming market? Yes," she affirmed. While she does not expect the explosive growth of earlier years, she believes that by leveraging strong evergreen IPs and introducing new titles, MTG can continue to grow beyond the low‑single‑digit baseline that now characterises the industry.