In February of last year, Swedish mobile powerhouse Modern Times Group (MTG) completed a $620 million acquisition of Plarium, the studio behind the wildly popular hero‑collection title Raid: Shadow Legends. That deal, however, is only the opening move in a broader expansion plan, according to MTG’s president and chief executive officer, Maria Redin. Redin told GamesIndustry.biz that the company set a bold vision after the Plarium purchase: "We want to double the size of MTG again, and we intend to do it through a mix of organic growth and further acquisitions." She added that the target timeframe for this doubling is roughly three to five years.
The ambition is not new – MTG aimed for a similar scale‑up in 2021 and, as Redin noted, the group actually tripled its size during that period. The mobile gaming landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years.
A few years ago, the sector enjoyed double‑digit growth rates, but today that momentum has slowed to single‑digit figures, reflecting a market that is maturing quickly. What was once a blue ocean of untapped opportunity now looks more like a crowded red sea, where growth often means taking market share from rivals or absorbing them outright. Acquiring companies is the easier half of the equation; integrating them successfully is where many firms stumble. The industry is littered with stories of poorly executed mergers that led to studio closures and talent loss.
MTG, however, believes it has a clear integration roadmap. Before buying Plarium, MTG already owned a portfolio of mobile studios, 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”: a Casual District and a Midcore District – the latter covering games that sit between casual and hardcore experiences.
Following the acquisition, the districts were rebranded as Playsimple and Playamp. Playsimple, named after the Indian studio behind WordTrip, houses free‑to‑play, ad‑supported titles, while Playamp contains the majority of MTG’s portfolio, which relies on in‑app purchases. Redin says the rebranding is more than cosmetic; it is part of a larger effort to create what she calls "one of the leading gaming villages." The name is intended to evoke a sense of community that encourages staff to stay and thrive. "People are our biggest asset," she explained, "but we also need to give them an environment where they can flourish.
When we acquire a studio we want the founders and their teams to remain after the deal, because that is when the real story begins – the scaling of the business. The only way to make that happen is to build a workplace they enjoy." Behind the scenes, MTG has been standardising technology and tools across its growing network. Redin noted that the push for common tech stacks began when she took the helm in 2020, but the scale required to roll it out fully only arrived with Plarium’s integration.
The aim is not to force every studio to use the exact same software, but to eliminate unnecessary duplication while respecting the distinct needs of each district. For example, Playsimple’s tech foundation will serve future casual acquisitions, whereas Playamp will adopt selected components of Plarium’s suite in a measured, selective rollout.
Plarium’s GoGame marketing platform and product‑detail‑page (PDP) data system are already being shared across MTG, with additional features being added to enhance their utility. Redin emphasised that the company wants to allocate resources where they generate the greatest return, and believes that a unified tech backbone can "super‑charge" the creative output of its studios. Generative AI is another pillar of MTG’s modernization. InnoGames has been using AI‑generated assets for its mobile title Sunrise Village for some time, and the studio plans to broaden AI‑driven content creation across its portfolio.
Redin observes that AI is becoming embedded in many production pipelines, offering unprecedented power for tasks such as A/B testing, graphics generation, quality assurance and analytics. She stresses that AI is a tool to augment, not replace, human creativity: "Our talent brings imagination that AI cannot replicate yet, but without AI we would fall behind competitors.
The technology helps us fill capacity gaps and accelerate delivery while preserving the creative spark." Approximately 80 % of MTG’s revenue now comes from the Playamp division, with the remaining 20 % generated by Playsimple. Redin is eager to expand both sides. She cites Snowprint as a recent acquisition and says that adding five more studios of similar profile would be "fantastic." On the casual front, she notes that Playsimple is currently a single studio but still contributes a solid fifth of the group’s earnings.
Looking ahead, Redin hints at the possibility of a third district that would leverage MTG’s core capabilities—perhaps a unit focused on data‑driven marketing or specialised AI tools. When asked about the future of mobile hits, Redin points out that the top‑ten list of games changes little year after year.
"Our thesis from day one has been to back evergreen IPs," she says, noting that titles like Raid have many years of life left. Nevertheless, she acknowledges the necessity of a fresh pipeline: "Investing in new games is essential for maintaining creativity and passion within our studios." The broader market context is sobering.
While there are still three billion gamers worldwide, growth rates have settled into low‑single‑digit to mid‑single‑digit territory. Competition for user attention now includes streaming services, social media platforms and other digital entertainment.
Redin remains confident that the market is still attractive, but she cautions that the era of hyper‑growth is over. Sustainable expansion will require a balanced mix of strong evergreen franchises and carefully nurtured new releases. In summary, MTG under Maria Redin is pursuing an aggressive acquisition‑driven growth strategy, reinforced by a unified technology framework and a forward‑looking AI agenda. By rebranding its studio clusters as Playsimple and Playamp, the company aims to foster a cohesive "gaming village" culture that retains talent, streamlines development, and positions MTG to double its size within the next few years while continuing to deliver both beloved legacy titles and promising new experiences.