In February of last year, Swedish 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 act in a much larger growth narrative, according to MTG’s president and chief executive, Maria Redin. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company’s ambition, set after the Plarium acquisition, is to double its scale once more. "We set out the vision last year that post‑acquisition of Plarium we want to double yet again in size," she said, adding that organic expansion will continue but will need to be supplemented by further purchases.
The target timeline is aggressive: Redin envisions achieving the doubling within roughly three to five years. She noted that MTG has already demonstrated the ability to meet lofty goals, recalling that a similar ambition launched in 2021 resulted in the group tripling its size. The mobile gaming sector, once characterized by double‑digit growth, has now settled into a single‑digit expansion rate as the market matures.
What was once a blue‑ocean landscape has turned a deep red, meaning that future growth will likely come from capturing competitors’ market share—or outright absorbing them. While acquiring studios is relatively straightforward, integrating them successfully is notoriously difficult.
The industry is littered with examples of failed integrations that culminated in studio closures. MTG, however, believes it has a clear plan to avoid those pitfalls.
Before buying Plarium, MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile developers, including InnoGames (known for 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. Following the acquisition, the districts were rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp, respectively.
Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, focuses on free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp houses games that rely primarily on in‑app purchases, which now constitute the bulk of MTG’s revenue. Redin emphasized that the rebranding is more than cosmetic.
She wants to build "one of the leading gaming villages," a phrase chosen to convey a sense of community that encourages talent to stay and thrive. "People are one of our biggest assets," she said, "but you also need to create an environment where they can flourish.
When we acquire companies, we want the founders and teams to remain after the deal, because that’s when the real story begins and the businesses can scale further. The only way to ensure they stay is to make the workplace enjoyable." A key component of the integration effort has been the standardisation of technology and tools across the group.
Redin explained that not every studio needs a bespoke tech stack; a unified platform can drive efficiencies. This standardisation drive began when she became CEO in 2020, but the scale achieved after adding Plarium finally allowed MTG to roll the vision out fully. She acknowledged the risks, citing EA’s problematic push to force all studios onto the Frostbite engine, but noted that MTG is treating the two districts separately.
"Playsimple’s tech stack will form the foundation for future casual acquisitions, while for Midcore we have selected parts of Plarium’s suite and are deploying it selectively," she said. Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑data platform are now used across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance functionality. Redin said the goal is to allocate resources where they deliver the greatest return, leveraging the strong development talent already present in the group.
"With Playamp we want to super‑charge our studios with a tech suite they can leverage, elevating everything that’s already being done," she explained. Generative AI is also reshaping MTG’s production pipelines.
InnoGames, for instance, 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 observed that AI is becoming embedded in many mobile games, and that the industry is collectively exploring how to balance new technology with existing workflows. She highlighted AI’s role in areas such as A/B testing, graphics, quality assurance, and analytics, noting that successful AI tools from individual studios are being rolled out across the Plarium tech suite.
When asked whether AI will eventually replace human creativity, Redin cautioned against such deterministic thinking. "Our talent’s creativity isn’t something AI can replicate yet," she said. "But if we ignore AI, we risk falling behind competitors. AI can super‑charge our capacity—helping with coding, art, analysis—so we can deliver better games faster while preserving the creative vision of our teams." Financially, about 80 % of MTG’s revenue now stems from the Playamp division, with the casual side (Playsimple) contributing roughly 20 %.
Redin expressed a desire to broaden the roster of studios, noting that MTG bought Snowprint a few years ago and would welcome additional studios of similar calibre. She also hinted at the possibility of adding a third district to the gaming village, likely centred on core capabilities such as marketing platforms or data analytics.
Despite the market’s maturity, Redin believes evergreen IPs will continue to dominate the top‑ten mobile charts, which rarely change. Nonetheless, she stressed the importance of maintaining a pipeline of new titles. Plarium, for example, has a new game slated for soft launch early next year. Redin acknowledged the difficulty of launching fresh hits, referencing Supercell’s recent challenges with new titles, but argued that a steady flow of new games is essential to retain studio DNA, creativity, and passion.
Looking ahead, Redin remains optimistic about the overall market. With three billion gamers worldwide, she sees ample opportunity, even if growth rates settle into low‑ to mid‑single‑digit figures.
She concluded that sustained investment in strong evergreen franchises, combined with the disciplined rollout of new games and AI‑enhanced tools, will be the formula that keeps MTG competitive in a crowded, ever‑evolving mobile gaming landscape.